PASSION
AND POSSESSION
Prologue:
Two
Kinds of Passion
There are two kinds of passion.
There is passion and longing for
something distant and far away, having once experienced it in all its fullness,
yearn forever to wish it again. Time does not diminish the intensity of that
hunger, it merely deepens it and eradicates the imperfections that caused one
to walk away in the first place. Eventually, the passions consumes all other
aspects, it dulls the appreciation of what is and the burning desire for what
was or might have been, becomes a poison from which there is no antidote. It
seeps into the veins like a vile concoction, devastating the whole until there
is nothing left but the overriding need to satisfy something that should have
remained forgotten.
She still burned for him.
At night, when the other held her
close, whispering his dreams for a new beginning, she could only left her mind
drift to him who for one brief moment, had shown her perfection. Patiently, she
endured the other's attempts to pleasure her, resigned to knowing that he never
would and fighting back the need to escape and find the man who had. She knew
where he was and for a long time after he had walked out of her life, she
stared at the stars overhead and dreamed of the night when they had shared the
canvas of light together. She wondered if he ever gazed into sky like she did
and wonder about her as she often wondered about him.
She had hoped time would ease the
burden inside her heart. At times, she wished so hard for it to go away that
she thought it might take the best part of her when it did leave and strangely
enough it mattered little if it had.
Unfortunately, there was no respite,
no end to the wanting and with each day that passed by, her life grey by
definition, began to slip further into the mists, until the only reality she
could endure was the brief time she spent with him.
She would recall what he look like
and remember that he had been a beautiful man to begin with, even though he had
taken great pains to hide it. After she had laid eyes on him that first moment,
she could not imagine why someone so beautiful would hide the way he did until
she understood that he did not believe himself to be that way. When she looked
at him, she understood what it was for the first time to lust purely for the
sake of it. She had wanted him and though it took time to break the barrier of
her reservations, it crumbled at the sight of those almost childlike eyes and a
face that should have been immortalized on someone's canvas.
Of course, he had never even
imagined that anyone could feel passion for him and was almost grateful for the
interest. It had never occurred to him that women could perceive him as a thing
of beauty. His honesty was refreshing for he did not believe himself to be
attractive to women with no idea that a smile from him could send most of them
into fits of orgasmic distraction. He had been such an innocent in these
matters that when she chose to pursue him; he did not stand a chance of
resistance.
Until then, he had been quiet to the
point of almost being shy, a thing that escalated her passion for him more
steadily then the lack of physical contact. His eyes did not just look at her,
they teased her his own desires with each gaze offered. He tried to speak to
her, clumsy in his attempts to charm because it was obvious he had not much
practice with conversing with the fairer sex. His words would permeate with
feeling, dripping with desire he dared not acknowledge because he knew she
belonged to another.
It did not help that the rift
between herself and the man she had chosen was widening with each mile
traversed in the long journey they had been taking. As man and wife, they
viewed each other by strangers, bound together by the loss of a child but forever
split apart because they were unable to cope with each other's grief. The
further apart she drifted away from her husband, the easier it became to
justify to herself that he was what she wanted and caution edged closer and
closer to being hurled heedlessly into the wind.
When there was danger and terrible
men had spirited her away, it was not her husband that came to find her, it was
him. Without any thought of himself, he had risked himself to save her and in
doing so, sealed both their fates as they rode into the sunset. Of course, they
never reached the others that night.
Perhaps even as they rode away with
the intention, she had known that this night was for theirs and whatever
happened tomorrow was still far enough away for either to care.
Under the same stars she would stare
longingly into every night after that, they had made passionate love the likes
of which she had never known. Once freed of his inhibitions, he had indulged
himself by pleasuring her with such searing intensity that nothing before or
since could compared to the experience.
Everything about him remained vivid
in her mind. The silk of his skin, the softness of his lips as he devoured hers
and tasted every inch of her body, the raw heat that he was capable of
engendering because he dared to find every place that yielded pleasure and
exploit it.
That night, their bodies had melded
continuously, burning with the same passion that kept the fires aflame at the
campsite as they pleasured each other. She remembered the soft cries of her
ecstasy and the groans he made when he had reached the peak and was about to
release it with her. She savoured such memories, allowing them to warm her
during the nights when it was necessary to feign some interest in the
performance of her marital duties. Despite her husband's attempts to rekindle
some genuine passion, even he understood that he was powerless against a
memory.
As much as that night had been
treasured and enjoyed, she had known as much as he had that it was what it was,
a one time event. Even though she wanted him still and she knew that it was
much more than that for him, she had tried to walk away, to leave the edge of
the precipice from which she hung so precariously. She saw the pain in his eyes
because he did not understand the complications that came from her being wed to
someone else. He was a creature of feeling, even though it was restrained most
of the time. However, when it was allowed to emerge, he could see nothing but
the emotions he was feeling and had believed it to be a simple matter of just
acting on those baser impulses.
For a time, she had succumb to the
fervor of his desire for them to be together and they had fled like children
together, catching a moment in the sun before the sensibilities of adulthood
claimed them again. Far away places with names that held more enchantment than
the reality ever could sprung to mind as they dreamed of some place that would
offer them refuge in their sinful indulgence.
Places like
It was he who came to his senses
first and realized that what they had done was wrong. He was honourable this
man she loved so passionately, with a streak of nobility that would allow him
to put principle ahead of his own desires. On some level, she knew he was right
but accepting it was harder no matter how he tried to convince that that this
was the right thing to do. However, that he wanted her to return to her husband
was enough to tell her that the fever that had taken enable to take leave of
their senses was gone. It was time to walk away before more people were hurt by
what they were doing.
She had watched him go, feeling a
little part of her die as he disappeared with promises that he would always
love her even though they would never encounter each other again. She had
accepted his wishes and returned to her husband whose happiness to have her
back had allowed the broken fences between them to be mended. For the first
time in a long time, her husband looked at her with love.
And she looked back thinking how he
could never be the man who had just rode away with his six comrades
She endured the return to married
life as long as she could, throwing herself into the building of a new home on
a piece of land that would have been ideal if the man she shared it with had
not been her husband but the lover she mourned daily. Eventually, her
ambivalence started showing and the animosity that had been the cause of all
this sorrow, returned with as much vigor. The rift that was created this time
was wide enough to be permanent and even her husband knew that this time there
would be no healing it.
They continued as they had always
done, two animals locked in the same cage while she indulged herself with
thoughts of the man she really wanted until the passion for him reached climax
and she now found herself on this lonely road.
She knew the stage came by this
trail regularly and she left her horse untethered, confident it would know the
way home after she was gone. Everything she owned was wrapped up in a neat
bundle including all the jewellery her mother had given her for her wedding.
She had enough money to secure passage on the stage and when she reached her
destination, the jewellery would allow her a few weeks accommodation while she
sought him out.
As she heard the thunder of hooves
coming up the road, she picked up her belongings and flagged the stage to a
halt as it rounded the corner. The stagecoach driver whom she had seen on
occasion, immediately spotted her and brought the team of horses under his
ministrations to a halt.
"Good morning." The
elderly man greeted, tipping his weather beaten hat at the same time.
"Is there room Isaac?" She
asked with a hopeful smile.
"Sure thing," he nodded.
"Where're you headed?"
Charlotte Richmond paused to answer
as she was about to climb into the stagecoach.
She replied with a smile. "
There was also another kind of
passion.
There was the kind that was almost
as infectious as the first. It consumes with as much intensity and drives all
other emotions away, even the ones that know the difference between right and
wrong. There is passion that is so complete in its permeation of the soul that
the soul itself is extinguished until what existed before is given away to a
madness that no amount of reason can prevent, no hurdle that is to wide to
reach in its acquisition of its desires. It starts as something small and it
soon inflames the mind with a singularity through which nothing can pass
without being changed irrevocably or destroyed in the process.
She still burned for him.
Even after everything that had
transpired between, despite the finality of their last meeting, she could not
let him go. She would not let him go. She would pursue him until the end of
time if need be but he was hers and she could not allow him freedom even if it
meant damning him to the same hell fire she would undoubtedly be forced to
spend eternity. Perhaps it was the one way to assure that he would be hers
finally. She had sacrificed everything for him and she would continue to pay
the price that was required, because he was her destiny. She knew that even
though it was difficult for him to comprehend it.
He was after all a man and despite
her love for him, she had to appreciate that he could not understand things as
women do. However, his lack of comprehension was of little consequences for she
could do the thinking for both of them, like she had always done whenever he
had chosen to go astray. It was a chore she happily endured though, making the
hard choices for him when he was incapable of making them for himself. Ever
since that first coupling, where they had made love as youthful lovers often
do, she had known that it was her lot in life to forever guard him and keep him
from the dangers that might intrude upon their grand love.
Theirs was a relationship that
transcended time and space. No matter how far away he was, no matter what he
may tell himself about her, she knew otherwise.
She loved him from the moment she
met him and she would continue to do so until the last breath left her body and
when she was burning in hell for the sins committed to possess him. There was
no end to them, there would never be so long as they were within reach of each
other.
She had let nothing stand in her
way, no then and certainly not now. When he had carried out the ultimate show
of foolishness by marrying some farmer's daughter, she had stepped in and
watched with careful deliberation. Of course, she knew the woman meant nothing
to him. He could be so misguided at times by these foolish dalliances with
women who could never possibly hope to understand him or love him for that
matter as much as she did. Sometimes, she endured their presence in his life,
knowing that it would not be for long and when it was required, she stepped in
and took matters into her own hands. For his own good of course.
When he married, she had been
slightly disappointed that he would go to all the trouble when it was simpler
to just sleep with the woman but then he was never very smart. The woman, he
had chosen, with her wide eyed look of innocence might have tricked him into
believing that this behaviour was the honourable thing to do. She had sat back,
waiting patiently for this show of domestic bliss to run its course and he
would come back to her, as he always did.
Until the child came.
When the child had arrived, she
understood that the farmer's daughter was attempting to sever the love that had
existed between them for so long. He was as vulnerable as most men to the pride
of having a son and for the first time, she began to see perceive the threat
that was his marriage to their long standing emotional bond. Deciding that it
was necessary to act for his benefit as well hers, she took steps to dissolve
this untenable situation he had stumbled into. It was easy enough to do since
he travelled a great deal in order to support this family that was now not only
an emotional burden to him but a financial one as well.
She had watched from afar the flames
that had blazed when the men she had sent freed him once and for all. She
watched the small house burn, mesmerized by the dance of amber in the night
sky, hearing not the screams as the end for his little family, but the sweet
song of his freedom drowning out the murder she had committed for him. She had
stayed there until the house was nothing but cinders, until the fire could
nothing consume no more and the billowing smoke disappeared as the sun ascended
over the horizon.
She lost of him for a time following
the fire and searched for him through the agents at her disposal. Eventually,
she heard stories about a somber, brooding gunslinger who was always garbed in
black and had a tendency to drown himself in whisky during the nights he took
up residence in any saloon. She felt his pain and wished she could explain the
necessity of what had been done, knowing that if he could only hear her say the
words from her lips, he would understand that it was for his own good. A man
such as he could not be tethered by such mundane concerns as family and
responsibility, she understood him as a free spirit, a force of nature that
could not be tamed.
Later on, when he had found solace
in the town she would come to know as Four Corners, she was pleased that he was
rekindling his desire to live by finding six friends who would protect him as
much as offer him comfort from the loneliness of her absence. She waited until
the time was right and she was certain that enough time had passed so that she
could present herself to him, knowing that as soon as they were together again,
all the sorrow of what he had lost would be forgotten.
Except that he was angry.
He had almost killed her for taking
his family from him. If he had not desisted in killing her, she would have been
forced to consider that perhaps he might have not have been as in love with her
as she originally believed. However, she did not like what that could mean and
the terrible implication that might follow that train of thought If she was
wrong about how he felt about his family's death then perhaps, she might have
been wrong about a great many things.
She had left because he was still
grieving for his family and knew that a time would come when he would accept
the purity of their love and come for her. Naturally, she had people keeping a
close eye on him during his tenure in the town of
Unfortunately, things rarely
occurred as they should and now she was informed that he intended on taking
another wife. She remembered the woman Mary Travis and considered the blond
widow to be a rival even more formidable than the farmer's daughter. This was
no simple woman who was content to raise a child waiting for her husband on a
homestead. Mary Travis was a power onto herself and she had the intelligence to
cause serious concern.
So, for the second time in his life,
she was going to have to save him from another mistake. Mary Travis would be
harder to deal with then Sarah Larabee but then any woman who captured Chris
Larabee's heart had to have mettle.
Fortunately, Ella had more.
Part One
Homecoming
"How long are you going to be
hiding out in here for?" Buck Wilmington asked Chris Larabee as the two
men sipped coffee on the front porch of Chris' shack. With the arrangements for
his wedding to Mary Travis currently being the main occupation of almost everyone
he knew in
The strange thing of it was, Chris
had never intended on staying in the dusty town that he had more or less
happened upon by chance during one hot day in summer on his way from some place
he no longer remembered to somewhere else that mattered as much. He could not
understand why he had bothered to stop at all, save perhaps needing a drink
because the day had been hot and dry and he was in need of a shot of whisky
which he never ended drinking. At least not least until after the gun battle
that would changed the course of his whole life from that point on, had
concluded.
"I'll ride in there sometime
today." Chris remarked as he eased back into the chair, admiring the day
beyond his porch and deciding with a secret smile that he had not picked a bad
spot to build. It was late fall and the leaves had turned golden and the beams
of sunshine that peered through the cracks of the foliage had bathed the place
in a warm amber glow. Besides it aesthetic value, the land was also fertile as
evidenced by the trees that surrounded the main house and the waist length
blades of grass that covered most of the property. He supposed that one of
these days he ought to think about doing something with the land since the soil
was good for growing. Still, Chris had never fancied himself a farmer, nor
could he bring himself to ruin the inordinate beauty of the place by trying to
tame it.
"That's right," Buck
nodded as he remembered what day it was today. "Billy gets in today
doesn't he?"
"Yeah." Chris nodded,
feeling some pleasure at the eminent arrival of Mary's son. With the new school
house being erected in readiness for the semester next year, Mary finally had
reason to bring Billy home permanently to
She had been wrestling with the
decision for quite some time now and Chris knew that it was hard to be
separated from her young son for such long periods of time. In some way, his
pleasure at seeing Billy return home permanently had as much to do with how
happy it would make Mary as well his own joy to see Billy again.
"For good." Chris added
after a moment. Despite his usual laconic manner, he was unable to keep the
pleasure from his voice at the boy's homecoming. Although it had been extremely
difficult to admit it to himself in the beginning, Billy reminded him so much
of Adam that it ached just as much as it did for Mary whenever Billy had to
return to school in Eagle
"So will you be keeping this
place once you and Mary have tied the knot?" Buck asked, his gaze sweeping
over the landscape before him and could understand if Chris was reluctant to
move into town and leave this all behind.
There was a serenity in the
stillness of the woods around them that tended to offer peace of mind. Chris
had certainly needed it. When he had first arrived in
Buck Wilmington knew people.
While his behaviour bordered on the
buffoon at times, there was more going on behind his sea coloured eyes than
most people suspected. His easy going manner masked a personality that was
prone to watch and study human responses. It was his insight that allowed him
to be the most approachable of the seven. It was also the reason why he was
such a success with the ladies.
From the moment Mary Travis had
asked him about Chris Larabee, Buck had known the inquiry was motivated by more
than just journalistic curiosity. Perhaps the prim and proper Mrs. Travis might
have been merely interested but the beautiful creature beneath, whose blue grey
eyes flared with hidden fire and ice desired something further. The sorrow in
her eyes as Buck told her about Sarah and Adam had given away to a deep
affection. Following that day, they were always skirting on the edge of
something that was obvious to everyone but themselves.
Buck wondered if either had
suspected how inevitable their relationship was. Nevertheless, as far as Buck
was concerned, Mary had done the impossible. Against all odds, she had been the
only person in years to penetrate the hard shell of Chris Larabee's grief. With
Mary, Buck had seen Chris come alive the way nothing had since Sarah and Adam's
death. It was easy enough to understand how one woman could change a man's life
so drastically if that woman was Mary Travis.
Even Buck had to recognize that Mary
was one of those rare women who could heal a man with nothing more than a
breezy smile and a toss of her golden hair. Buck loved her as all the seven
loved her. She was their friend and in the beginning of their tenure here,
their most ardent supporter. She accepted all of them without question or
doubt, knowing that they all had a past but concerning herself with none of it
because she had faith in them. At a time, when most of them had spent their
years as exiles from life, Mary Travis had welcome them with open arms.
Mary had made them a family and that
was why everyone of the seven would die for her if need be.
"I thought I might have Vin
stay at the house." Chris announced, answering Buck's earlier question
about the fate of this place once he and Mary were married. Chris had no
difficulty staying in town with Mary at her house since it made sense to do so
with Mary's role as editor of the Clarion News and Chris' responsibilities as
one of the town's lawmen. The gunslinger also knew that it was pointless making
the offer to Buck because his old friend was a social creature who liked having
people around him all the time and would soon tire of this place and its
solitary existence.
"He'd like that." Buck
agreed, knowing that the choice was a good one. Vin preferred the quiet and was
accustomed to taking off in his wagon just to escape the noise of urban living,
if a town like
"Where is he anyway?" Buck
inquired, aware only that Vin had left town but knowing little else.
"Don't tell me he's off pining somewhere for Alex because she's gone to
Sweet Water for a few days."
Chris threw Buck a look that told
him to take another guess.
"Well I'll be. ." Buck
laughed as it finally dawned on him what Chris was alluding to. "I never
thought Vin had it in him to be so sneaky."
"I'm guessing they're probably
together somewhere out of the way." Chris glanced at Buck with a wolfish
grin as he thought of what Alex and Vin were probably doing at this moment.
"No doubt signing the hotel
register as Mr. and Mrs. Smith." Buck added.
"Something like that."
Chris answered. "I think Alex is still a little skittish after all that
trouble with Serfonteine."
"The lady does have to think
about her reputation." Buck agreed wholeheartedly with the couple's
reasoning. They were no doubt enjoying some heated quality time together inside
the confines of an out of the way hotel in a town none of them probably never
heard of. Buck found himself sighing with envy. "Well at least they had
the sense to get engaged."
"Yep, it does stop tongues
wagging for some reason." Chris replied, remembering how much simpler
things became when Mary and Chris had made their relationship public with news
of their engagement. Although it was a mixed blessing considering what was
happening in town at this moment. Inez was organizing the wedding with Julia
Pemberton in assistance since Mary was simply bursting with excitement at the
very notion of having Billy home, to give any thought to such arrangements.
Chris who hated fanfare of any kind
was starting to have this terrible suspicion that his wedding was going to be
about as low key as a three ringed circus. When he had told Mary to do what she
had wished, he had assumed that there would be a quiet ceremony with close
friends and a tasteful gathering following it. With so much do, what with the
paper and Billy coming home, Mary had unwisely given over the organization of the
wedding to Inez who was more than thrilled to do this thing for her best
friend.
Unfortunately, it did not take very
long before they soon discovered the scope of Inez's vision for the day and
suddenly, Chris decided that Mary had made a mistake of biblical proportions.
Still, without offending just about everyone Inez had dragged into this putting
together this affair by telling Inez that she was off the coordination duties,
Chris had decided that the safest place for him to be at this time was right here
away of the line of fire. He could almost understand why Alexandra Styles had
decided to take this sudden trip out of town in order to avoid being recruited
as one of Inez's wedding entourage.
"Inez is driving Ezra crazy
planning this thing for you." Buck said with a smile, remembering the
gambler's state of mind this morning when he had learnt that he was required to
take over the bartending duties for the day while Inez ran errands for the
forthcoming nuptials.
"All I'm doing is turning up
for the thing." Chris said firmly, having no wish to become embroiled in
the preparations. As it was, he was shuddering at what a debacle the actual
event was turning into and kept telling himself that it would be worth all this
trouble if at the end of the day, Mary was his bride.
Fortunately, keeping that thought
firmly in his mind was all that was the only thing that had so far prevented
Chris from riding very far out of town. He had no wish to become a part of a
community or to be considered respectable for that matter. Chris still saw
himself at the town's bad element even though it was somewhat difficult to
maintain that image when his fiancee was a pillar of the community and his
wedding was turning out to be the social event of the year. Perhaps there was
time to make it to
"Well, I got an interesting
bachelor party planned for you." Buck grinned with just enough mischief on
his face to give Chris cause for concern.
Chris looked at him and was
perfectly aware of what kind of parties Buck was inclined to throw. His head
was starting to throb just remembering how he had felt the morning after the
stag party Buck had thrown him when he married Sarah. If Buck had anything like
that planned for him then Chris had good reason to be very afraid. "Buck,
I want to be able to walk down the aisle not be carried down it, so whatever
you're planning, it better not be like it was the last time you threw me a stag
party."
"Aw come on Chris," Buck
exclaimed, throwing Chris a look of mock hurt. "You had a great time at
your bachelor party." He reminded.
"A great time?" Chris
stared at him. "I woke up in the middle of a field on Hank Conner's place,
with a bell tied around my neck and not much else! The man was already gunning
for me for marrying his daughter!"
"Yeah," Buck smiled completely
unrepentant and wished there had been a way to frame the moment, especially
when Chris had to sneak into town wearing little more than his boots. "But
trust me, you had fun."
"I'll take your word for
it," Chris retorted. "I still don't remember a thing."
"This time, I promise it will
be different."
Chris gave him a stern look and said
in no uncertain terms, using a voice he reserved for manic Confederate generals
and errant ranch owners with delusions of grandeur. "If I wake up anywhere
strange with less than I got on when I came into this world, I will hunt you
down and kill you Buck. Wedding day or not."
"Would I let anything to happen
you pard, especially on your big day?" His old friend asked innocently.
Chris did not even bother to answer.
Her son was coming home.
Beyond that, Mary Travis had let
nothing else permeate her psyche today as she made preparations for the arrival
of Billy on the next stage. Although Billy had returned home on numerous
occasions before this, today was special because he was coming home for good
and with her impending marriage less than a week away, Mary had a lot of reason
to be happy. The past year had seen much changes in her life. Mary had never
suspected when she had first cast her eyes on that black garbed stranger who
rode into town with an air of mystery in his brooding blue eyes, how much chaos
he would bring into her own existence.
Not that she would have traded one
moment of it for anything.
However, with Billy coming home,
Mary looked upon the future with a sense of expectation with what tomorrow
would bring. The nature of who she was and the man she loved had more or less
written it in stone somewhere that her life would never be quiet or normal. The
only thing that had marred an otherwise exciting existence was the absence of
her son and as of today all that would change.
Mary had risen early this morning
and immediately aired out Billy's room, spending an hour changing the linen on
his bed and ensuring that everything was perfect for him when he finally
arrived. She dusted and cleaned, performing all the domestic duties a mother
was supposed to do for her only son, blissfully happy to know that she would be
doing these things on a permanent basis. She took note of the carved horse on
his bureau and recalled with a smile when he had received the tiny figurine
carved of wood.
Billy had received upon his first
meeting with Chris Larabee and Mary recalled with fondness of Chris had managed
to draw a smile out of Billy where none had been for so long. At the time,
Billy had been hiding the secret regarding his father's death, a burden which
manifested itself as terrible nightmares that left Mary no choice but to send
him away to Eagle
After that, Mary became accustomed
to sharing Billy's attention whenever he was home from school and it was time
she gave up willingly when she saw how much her son adored Chris, even before
they became lovers. Man and boy had been able to fill a void within each other
that had been vacant for far too long. Chris had been the only person Billy had
truly connected with since Steven had died and Mary liked to think that her son
touched a part of Chris Larabee that still grieved for his own child.
Mary had spent most of the morning,
preparing Billy's room for his return until she was changing the linen twice
and three times because of her determination to have everything perfect when he
finally stepped through the door. She wanted nothing to mar this day and was
adamant that everything was ready and waiting by the time the stagecoach
brought Billy into
She was in the middle of slicing
apples for a pie when she heard a knock on her kitchen door. With a knife and
bowl of apples in hand, Mary made her way to the door and saw Julia Pemberton
waiting outside the front step. Since her miscarriage some time ago, Julia's
relationship with Mary had improved after the turbulence of the Emporium
owner's first few days in
"You look busy." Julia
pointed out as the red head walked into the kitchen after Mary had opened the
door for her.
Mary Travis' kitchen appeared to be
a work in progress with pots and pans covering the counter tops and ingredients
awaiting preparation on the kitchen table. Julia was not much of a cook but she
knew when a feast was being prepared.
"Billy is coming home
today." Mary smiled, unashamed of how happy she felt at this moment. The
joy of knowing her son was coming home to her was making her positively giddy
and she radiated delight from every pore on her body.
"I know," Julia said with
a straight face. "You've been telling us this at least three times a day
for the past week. I take it from the look of this kitchen that you're planning
to cook all his meals for the next week today?"
"He's a growing boy." Mary
pouted but could not deny that there was enough food on the table to feed the
entire Union Army.
"What do you want him to grow
into, a horse?" Julia looked at her.
"Are you here for a
reason?" Mary scowled at the woman sarcastically, unwilling to hear any
rebuke today because her son was coming home. Besides, she huffed silently; it
was a mother's prerogative to see that her son had a decent home cooked meal
with as wide a variety of dishes from which to choose.
Julia chuckled; knowing Mary did not
mean any real offence by her remark.
"Actually, I'm here for Inez.
She wants you to pick which flower you would like for the reception."
"Flowers?" Mary wrinkled
her brow in exasperation, telling herself yet again that Inez was only trying
to make things perfect for her with this escalation of her simple tasteful
wedding to a full blown social event.
"Yes," Julia reached into
the basket she had brought with her and produced two small bundles of local
flowers. Mary could not remember what they were called but one was a pale
lavender shade and the other was a vibrant red. "Pick." The Emporium
owner said holding them both up for Mary's scrutiny.
Mary studied both bundles for a
moment and decided to go with the lavender shade since the red on its own might
be pretty but as an arrangement in volume, would appear quite garish indeed.
The burst of colour on the day would probably kill the groom whose sole
appreciation of a colour was a grim black. "Tell her the lavender."
Mary said after a moment.
"Good choice." Julia
nodded with approval and then secreted the flowers into her basket once more.
"Incidentally, you do realize that you have created a monster, do you
not?"
"I know, I know," Mary
groaned as she went back to peeling her apples. "I had no idea that Inez's
idea of a wedding could be so grandiose. Yesterday, she had me picking up the
kind of napkins we would like at the reception."
"Considering that half the
guests are barely house broken, it does seem to be a redundant gesture."
Julia agreed perfectly aware of how maniacal Inez was getting since most of the
linen for the wedding was coming from her Emporium.
Julia had not forgotten how comforting
Mary had been when she had lost her baby and had all linen for the reception
her wedding gift to the couple. "Why do you think Alex got out of town so
fast?"
"Because she wanted a sordid
weekend with Vin?" Mary looked at Julia with a raised brow and an evil
smile.
"Why Mrs. Travis," Julia
laughed with mock reproach in her voice. "I thought a respectable
journalist like yourself would be above such tawdry gossip."
"I know, I know, " Mary
replied showing no sign of guilt. "I feel sick absolutely sick about
it."
"Are you and Chris planning
some sort of honeymoon after the wedding?" Julia asked since no mention
had been made about the subject, at least from Inez.
"I don't know," Mary
replied. Honestly, the thought of such a thing had never occurred to her. What
with the wedding and Billy coming home, the idea of a honeymoon had completely
slipped her mind. "I don't really want to leave Billy with strangers. He's
going to have a hard enough time fitting back into life at
"Well he'll get to know them
when school opens." Julia pointed out. "Have you acquired a school
teacher yet?"
"Yes as a matter of fact,"
Mary said brightly, glad that she was prepared for at least one thing. Mary had
sent letters of inquiry across the state in search of someone who would be
willing to accept a teaching post in such rugged surroundings. Despite the fact
that
"Her name is Audrey King and
she's been teaching for fifteen years. Apparently, her husband passed on
recently and she wants to get a new start somewhere with her twelve-year-old
daughter. Her references were quite impressive. She'll be here sometime this
week, apparently to get settled in before the school year begins."
"This is the place for
beginnings." Julia replied, being able to attest to that fact personally.
"Well, I've got to get going." she sighed as she remembered she had a
dozen other errands to run for Inez today. If she had known how determined Inez
was to make this wedding nothing less than perfect, Julia might have
reconsidered her offer to lend the woman a hand. Secretly however, Julia felt
somewhat privileged to be asked to help. Back in
"Oh God." Mary exclaimed,
having enough expertise at cake making to know how much of an accomplishment
that was going to be. "A dozen roses?"
"I told you," Julia said
as she started to leave, "you've created a monster."
"You're telling me," Mary
groaned.
"Mary," Julia paused as
she was about to walk out the door. "Want a piece of advice?"
"Conditionally," she
responded with a little bit of a smirk.
"I think Billy is going to be
so happy to be home with his mother, he's not going to care what he has for
dinner." Julia gave her a little wink and swept out of her kitchen.
Mary knew Julia was right but in the
meantime, she still had a pie to bake.
It was afternoon and Vin Tanner had
not remembered ever spending such a prolonged period indoors or in bed for that
matter. He peeked out the window and saw that morning was almost over as the
sun reached apex in the sky. Outside, the main street of this quiet town showed
as no more activity then when he and Alex had first arrived here. It was Alex
who suggested that they pick this particular place for their sojourn from
He liked her sense of irony.
The hotel that they had registered
was one of those places Vin knew to be a favourite of those who did not wish to
be found, which was exactly what they were. It was by no means lavish but had a
door with a lock on it and nice big bed which was all Vin and Alex wanted or
needed. For the past two days, neither had come up for air as they indulged
their desires in this vacation away from their lives. For once, Vin had the
thrill of waking up next to her and sharing and entire night in her bed without
having to sneak away in the morning, for fear of inciting gossip.
After the business with Serfonteine,
it was Vin who decided that they needed to take caution with their intimate
encounters and this rendezvous had been born of that wish. As far as
He watched her sleep, basking in the
loveliness of her as she dreamed about things wonderful he hoped. It was still
a source of astonishment to him to know that he was engaged to a woman like
her. Alexandra Styles was a true lady in every sense of the word and yet
contradictory enough to accept him for what he was, even though he had no
fortune to speak of and a price on his head. He knew that before any question
of marriage could ever come into the equation, he would have to deal with his
ongoing situation on Tuscosa.
Still it was nice to know that she
was his.
Alex was lying in the sheets next to
him, oblivious to his observations of him and Vin felt the familiar tingle of
arousal as he took in the sight of her body, separated from his touch by a thin
layer of cotton. She was lying on her stomach, dark hair covering most of her
face when Vin nuzzled closer to her as another wave of desire took control of
his baser desires. Vin brushed aside her tousled dark hair, seeking through the
strands of jet for the soft skin of her neck.
She pushed up against him in her sleep,
not at all minding his weight on top of her as she slumbered. Letting out a
pleasured sigh when Vin found her neck, the tracker smiled as he lowered his
mouth and started teasing her skin her by tracing circles against it with his
tongue. She was still asleep but he could feel her body responding immediately
to the gentle nips he made along the length of her neck before he sucked
insistently in the curve where it met her shoulder.
Alex moaned languidly, pressing her
body further into his as he continued this seductive assault, still asleep but
aware of his tender ministrations by her dreamy responses to him. Vin hand slid
in the space between her breast and the soft mattress, slipping through the
crease of sheets as he searched for the nipple pressing hard against the linen.
He enjoyed the journey there, savouring the soft round warmth under his touch,
the supple curve of her breast and the texture of skin pulling taut against
muscle. He felt her sharp intake of breath as his palms kneaded the ripe flesh,
searching for the ever tightening nub of erect tissue that could send ripples
of pleasure throughout her, even in this dreamy state. Unconsciously, her back
arched slightly into him so that he could take up her whole breast in his palm.
Vin grunted softly at the feel of
her in his hand. The sensation was strong enough to send waves of heat rippling
through his arms and continuing all the way to his cock. He felt himself
stiffen with growing need as he continued caressing her this way, thrilling in
the soft sounds she made each time he did something that touched her in just
the right way. He kneaded it gently, drawing pleasured groans from her as she
started to come out of her sleep, long enough to respond.
When he finally touched the taut
contraction of her nipple, he immediately enclosed the plateau with his finger
tips, teasing it mercilessly as she started moving beneath him, trying to force
more of herself into his wonderful hand. Vin closed his eyes, feeling the
arousal build in his ever hardening cock as he felt Alex writhe under him, the
firm flesh of her bottom pushing into the hard ridge of his manhood. It
strained for stimulation and before he even knew it, he was rubbing himself
against her, relishing the feel of her skin against him while the swollen head
of his erection started pulsing against the inside of her thighs.
"Can I do something for you
cowboy?" She mumbled, coming out of her sleep almost purring.
"Whatever you want
darlin'," he smiled as continued kissing her neck, moving to her shoulders
now and showering her bronzed skin with light kisses that made her purr with
delight as his other hand explored the curve than ran from her side down to her
hip. Vin loved the feel of her skin under his hands, almost as much as he
craved hearing the sounds of delight that escaped her.
"I could take this for a few
more hours." Alex smiled as she pushed herself against into him, feeling a
wicked gush of moisture between her legs at the sensation of his chest against
her bare back. She could feel his cock pressing into her, demanding entry as
his hips involuntarily thrust itself against her.
His kisses had become more fervent
now as his desire built steadily in the erection that was making itself felt so
prolifically between her legs. Alex parted her thighs slightly, immediately
allowing him to run the shaft of his throbbing member against the heat of her
own sex.
The sudden slickness against the
length of his cock made Vin pause a moment as the pleasure of it forced a small
gasp for him. "Jesus." He whispered and felt his hips moving of their
accord as he pushed against the velvet folds but not far enough to penetrate.
As he slid up and down, he could feel her moistening with each delicious
stroke, until she had gone very silent and her breaths were little more than
shallow gasps of bliss. He positioned himself so that his cock would make
contact with her erect centre and pushed again.
"Oh Vin." She whispered as
she felt him tease that tiny pearl of flesh as he ran his shaft against it. The
sensation made her buck against him and his fingers worked the flesh of her
nipple with renewed intensity as his own desires grip him with similar abandon.
Vin was covered in her juices now
and the need to enter her was so overwhelming that he could barely stand it. He
left her breast and moved both hands to her hips, sliding down her sides with a
firm, descent so that she could feel every inch of his journey in the rough
calluses of his palms. When he reached the curve of her waist, he slid his hand
underneath her belly until he reached the thatch of dark hair that would lead
him inside her. Sliding past her wet thighs, he relished the musk of her
arousal in his nostrils as his fingers started probing to the crevasse between
them. Gently, he nudged past the folds and inserted a finger, groaning
immediately at the feel of wet and tight muscle that enveloped him upon entry.
"God." She whimpered, her
hips pushing into his hand as he strained to plunge his fingers as deeply into
her as he could. Quivering flesh enveloped his insistent digits, promising him
all kinds of pleasure as he pressed his fingers within the passage that his
cock would soon invade. Her hips started to lift slightly off the bed,
attempting to give him more access to her until the texture of her round bottom
grinding against his own pelvis was enough to drive him insane with hunger.
"Get on your knees," he
whispered huskily, his blue eyes almost dark with feral need.
"Yes." She said completely
subservient and moaned when he drew away from her to allow the movement. She
did not wish for his hand to stop what it was doing to her body but knew that
that what he intended to do now would eclipse the pleasure he had made her
endure until this point. Besides, Alex wanted to feel him inside her, perfectly
aware of how wonderful he would be when he started fucking her hard and
savagely.
Vin felt his cock impossibly harden
when he drew back and saw her raising herself upon her hands and knees,
offering him a full view of her sex as she did so. He wanted to be inside her
so badly he could not even wait before he was up against her, forcing himself
through the silky folds. As the head of his cock penetrated the tight ring of
wet flesh, Vin had to hold onto her hips or else he could have completely lost
control and force himself into her brutally. His need was such now that it was
driving all sense from his world.
"Jesus, you feel so good."
He groaned as he pushed into her, enjoying every inch of flesh that coaxed him
further and further inside.
Alex was moaning slowly as he made
his invasion, parting her legs wider, feeling as if he could never be deep
enough inside her as she pushed down hard, until what care he was taking was
washed away in the totality of complete penetration. She heard him gasp as he
was embedded inside her, until his hips was pressed hard against her bottom and
she could feel the weight of his semen engorged sacs bouncing against her
flesh. His hands dug into her hips with such force she was almost aroused by
the pain. Their lust had become almost animalistic in its intensity.
"Hard Vin," she gasped.
"Do me hard."
Her plea was so raw and full of need
that it almost had the effect of a physical sensation upon him. He felt a gush
of fluid escape him with the arousal from those three words. He was more than
happy to oblige her because the sensation of her all around him was beyond
belief. He was somewhat amazed he had not begun a frantic fit of furious
thrusting because his cock was so hard and bursting that he did not know how
much longer he could have maintained his control. Pulling her hips forcefully
into his throbbing member, he began pumping her hard, his own gyrations making
this melding of flesh into a dance of brutal pleasure.
Sweet Jesus, Vin thought inwardly as
the pleasure washed over him. The intense pressure of her inner muscles was
crushing his cock into submission with each hard thrust into her body. He
pounded into her with such relentless force that before he even knew what was
happening, Vin was crying out her name. He could only hold on and let his
manhood do the work for him, dragging him along on this tidal wave of sensation
that coursed through every pore in his body until all he could do to keep from
whimpering in beatific surrender was to bite down hard.
"Oh God Vin, don't stop!"
She whimpered and threw her head back, her dark hair splaying across her back,
intermingling with the sweat of her skin.
Vin saw the cascade of jet before
him, a stark contrast against golden coloured skin and immediately felt himself
pumping even harder, until the pleasure of her was so unbelievable that all he
could do in response was to hold on and enjoy the ride. He rode her hard and
fast, knowing that despite her lady like manner, she liked to be handled with
ruthless desire. Without ever knowing how he had managed to be so fortunate,
Vin knew that he had a wildcat in his bed.
He slammed into her again, his cock
reaching such heights of ecstasy that neither it nor him was going to recover
for a good while after this incredible encounter. Judging with Alex's whimpers,
he could tell that she was very close and rammed into her with continued force
that he could feel himself impacting the hard barrier of flesh that signaled
the end of her tight passage. The sensation that came from that collision was
more than he could stand and all he could do to keep in control was to bury his
face in the sheen of her jet coloured hair.
Suddenly, he felt her stiffen under
him. Her back straightening like an animal that had awoken from a deep sleep
and feeling the need to stretch out. All sense left his mind when her wet
insides contracted around his cock in a powerful display of orgasmic
pre-eminence. She cried out his name like it was mantra, as if the word chanted
would make her plunge over the abyss of pleasure all the more powerful. He felt
her warmth sweep over him and knew that it would take whatever stamina he had
with it.
"Oh Christ!" He groaned,
feeling himself explode inside her until all he could see before him were stars
amidst a canvas of jet. His body spasmed as he continued pumping into her,
forcing Alex to accept every last drop of seed until finally he collapsed onto
her body, bathing them both in each other's perspiration. For a moment, he
could do nothing but remained draped over her, trying to catch his breath from
yet another affirmation of why he could not ever be without her. He rubbed the
rough stubble of his cheek against the smooth skin of her back and felt her
wriggle at little.
"Stop it." She tried to
suppress a laugh. "That tickles."
Vin repeated the action again and
drew another sharp giggle. "I hadn't noticed." He smiled.
"Stop it," she laughed
again and squirmed from under him. "That drives me crazy."
"Well then," he said with
a devilishly grin. "I'll just have to keep doing it."
With that, he covered his body with
hers and filled the room with their playful laughter.
"Is the stage here yet?"
Chris asked when he met Mary in front of the Clarion office later that day. His
fiancee was pacing the boardwalk in front of the premises, looking every bit as
impatient as he knew she was feeling. Chris tried not to smile as he saw Mary
attempting to look normal even though she was bursting with excitement over the
impending arrival of her son. This was something he had become accustomed to seeing
over the past months of their courtship. Billy's arrival was the only thing
that could make Mary Travis heady to such an extent.
"No," she glanced at the
small watch she had been keeping in her pocket. "Its ten minutes
late." She said unhappily as she glanced up the main street once more, to
see if the stagecoach had appeared on the horizon since she had looked 30
seconds ago. "This tardiness is most unacceptable." She grumbled with
her hands on her hips as she continued pacing. People were starting to look at
her curiously as they passed by and reacted only by throwing Chris a
sympathetic glance as they continued on their way.
"Mary you're going to wear a
hole in the floor." Chris pointed out. "Relax."
"I can't relax!" She
exclaimed, knowing that he could not possibly understand how she was feeling at
this moment. There were butterflies in her stomach at the thought of having her
son home permanently, not just for a few days or weeks but forever! She was so
happy she could barely form words but this wait was driving her insane! Where
was that damn stage! "I want my son!"
Chris raised a brow at her tantrum
and found himself unable to contain the smile that sneaked past his lips almost
involuntarily. Mary noticed it and narrowed her eyes, realizing that he was
having some amusement at her expense. She was about to open her mouth and reply
when the timely arrival of Ezra, Josiah, Buck and J.D. saved him from any
bloodshed. Mary was in that kind of mood right now but she tended to keep her
temper from public view unless absolutely necessary.
"I take it young William has
yet to arrive." Ezra remarked as they approached.
"Good to see you out from
behind the bar." Chris responded, unable to hide the amusement in his
voice.
Ezra gave him a smirk and retorted.
"Inez has finally liberated me from that tiresome chore. Apparently, the
wedding of the century can take a break for the rest of the day."
"Thank goodness," Mary
sighed, glad that for today anyway, she would not have any flower arrangements
to preside over, any dinner plate patterns to select and furthermore, any talk
of the bridal shower Inez intended on throwing her. All she was interested in
today was her son.
"The hard work is just too much
for him." Josiah retorted, giving Ezra a reproachful look.
"I told you once and I shall it
again reiterate again, a gentlemen does not perform menial labour." Ezra
pointed out in the dignified way that only Ezra could manage in making that
statement sound completely reasonable. "I just hope you and Mrs. Travis appreciate
the sacrifice that some of us have been forced to make for your coming
nuptials.
"I'll keep you in mind when I
write the thank you cards." Mary said rolling her eyes in resignation
wondering how Julia put up with the man sometimes. Still, Julia's personality
lent well to Ezra's southern gentlemen facade and Mary was sure the woman
humored him most times.
"Don't worry Ezra," Buck
grinned. "It will be all worth it when I throw the bachelor party."
"Bachelor party?" Mary
turned slowly to Chris with an expression on her face that showed she was not
at all enthusiastic about his having a stag party. She had heard what commonly
went on with those things to know that she did not want Chris hung over on the
day of their wedding.
"Nice going Buck." Chris
grimaced, noting the frown that had suddenly developed on his future wife's
face.
"Don't worry Mary," Buck
stepped forward, quick to defend his friend and his stag night. "It will
be perfectly respectable, even my mother would be proud to attend." He
replied, oozing charm as he tried to convince her that nothing sleazy would be
taking place even though it was an outright lie that neither Mary nor any of
the seven present believed.
"I'll believe that when I see
it." Josiah remarked, giving Chris and Ezra a knowing look. If Buck could
do anything with complete expertise, it was to organize celebrations that
included plenty of libations and all the vices that would make it an evening to
remember. Of course, such parties would give any potential groom much cause for
consternation with all the temptations that would undoubtedly be present on the
night.
"Stage is here!" J.D.
announced and immediately moved everyone's attention from what was possibly a
provocative subject.
As they made their way to the stage
depot, Mary easily outdistanced them as she hurried forward, raising her skirts
so that it would not hamper her swift approach. The stage rumbled into town,
trailing a small cloud of dust as it travelled through the outskirts of town
and meandered into the main street. Mary felt her heart pounding with
excitement, oblivious to the men who were attempting to keep up with her as she
strode purposefully along the boardwalk.
By the time she reached the depot,
the stage had already pulled up and the driver had alighted and was preparing
to open the door for the passengers.
Unsurprisingly, it was Billy who
bundled out of the carriage first, even before the driver could swing the door
completely open. The long confinement during the journey had strained his
youthful patience to such an extent that he was extremely grateful to be free
of it as he hurried out of the Concord in search of the mother who was no doubt
waiting for him as she always did.
"Billy!" Mary called out
happily and the boy ran straight into her arms as mother and son exchanged a
warm and happy embrace of greeting.
"Let me look at you," Mary
said trying not to let her emotions get the better of her as she spoke. Every
time she saw him, it just felt as if it had been years since he had been gone.
Upon observation, she noted that he had grown a little taller and he was in
need of a haircut but other than that he was still her little boy and that
alone was enough to make Mary forget everything else.
"Is it true ma?" Billy
asked enthusiastically. "Am I home to stay?"
"Yes," she said delighted
that he was happy about this. "You don't have to go back." There had
been a moment of darkness when Mary considered the possibility that Billy may
not want to leave his friends and grand parents in Eagle
"And I can go to school
here?" He questioned further.
"When school opens." Mary
nodded and her response was rewarded with another warm hug from her son that
just about broke her resolve to keep from crying. She looked up to see Chris
approach with a smile on his face that he rarely offered anyone. It was not one
of his faint and shadowy smiles that he reserved only for the others. This one
was a real and was mostly reserved for those occasions when Billy was home.
"Hey pardner." Chris
greeted the boy as Mary disengaged herself from him and ran towards the
gunslinger.
"Hi Chris!" Billy grinned,
staring at the tall man in black with nothing less than adoration as he ran to
Chris and hugged him which just as much intensity as he had done with his
mother. Immediately, Chris dropped to his knees and hugged the boy back, showing
his comrades a side of him rarely displayed except when in the presence of this
child.
The next few minutes were a chorus of greetings and ruffled hair as Billy was offered warm salutations from all the lawmen present who were just as enamored w