Chapter Twenty

Nick

Nick rode home at dusk, tired and defeated. For the past hour he’d tried to work out how he would tell Cora he hadn’t found Justine. Where the hell had she gone? The worry had played hell with his mind as he imagined a thousand terrible things, but as he and Henry neared the house, he heard Justine playing the violin.

Henry swore and gave a breathless laugh.

Nick listened, wondering if he was dreaming. Both he and Henry had searched all day and were bone tired. Maybe his mind was playing tricks on him. But no. The music was clear and not a mere figment of his imagination. The notes of the violin pierced the quiet of the evening. Both horses pricked their ears. Halston neighed and broke into a trot without any urging from Nick.

They rode up to the porch and stopped.

Justine lowered her instrument and gave them a sheepish look. She wore a dress, which probably was an apology for giving them a scare. Usually Nick had to sweet-talk her into wearing something other than trousers and shirtsleeves. And usually that only worked on a Sunday.

“I’m sorry,” she said softly. “I didn’t mean to upset everyone.”

“Where the hell were you?” Henry snapped.

Justine shrank from his words. Her eyes lit with a vulnerability Nick hadn’t ever seen.

“I was in the hayloft. I shut the door, so the kittens wouldn’t fall. Then I couldn’t open it.”

Henry scowled. “We were yelling this morning, looking for you. How come you didn’t yell back?”

“I fell asleep in the hay. I didn’t hear any yelling till Cora came.”

Nick dismounted. “How did you open that heavy door?”

“Cora pried it open with an iron bar.”

Cora came out of the house. When she saw Nick, she hurried down the steps and went to him. He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close to receive his kiss.

“Henry and I probably smell about as good as the horses,” he muttered. “But I need to kiss my wife after being gone all day.”

“Don’t be angry with Justine,” Cora said.

“I’m not the one that’s angry.” Nick eyed Henry.

Henry shook his head and turned his horse to the barn. He took Halston with him.

Nick shrugged. “He was worried. We both were.”

Justine watched Henry ride away, her face pale. When she turned her attention back to Nick, she nodded but said nothing. She blinked back tears and the look on her face made his stomach clench. He didn’t want to see her dissolve into tears. It had been a long enough day as it was.

“I need to fix that door.” he spoke gruffly. “I’m sure you’ll be looking for kittens every chance you get. Don’t want you to get trapped up there again, or give you an excuse to avoid your chores.”

Justine gave him a trembling smile and turned away. Everyone, it seemed, had been shaken by the girl’s disappearance. Dinner was mostly quiet. He and Henry were famished after riding all day and missing both breakfast and lunch. After they ate, Henry thanked Cora politely and announced he was ready to call it a day.

That night, as they readied for bed, Nick tried to avert his eyes as Cora undressed. He wanted nothing more than to sweep her off her feet, take her to bed and make love to her again. Throughout the day, he’d kept a tight rein on his worries about Justine. Despite his efforts, he’d worried about both Justine and Cora. Both were his responsibility now. He didn’t just want to keep them safe, he needed to keep them safe.

Now that he had Cora to himself, he yearned to claim her once more. He promised himself he wouldn’t. He might crave her touch, but he knew she would be tender from the night before.

He turned down the lamp, got into bed and settled beside her. Almost instantly, she fell fast asleep. The instant he touched her, his body was as hard as an anvil, but he felt content to simply hold her in his arms and listen to her soft breathing.

After a night of fitful sleep, he woke at daybreak. He dressed quietly. Cora stirred, but he kissed her on the forehead and told her to stay in bed. The chill in the air made him seek out a heavy coat, a duster he usually wore during the winter cattle drive to Fort Worth.

A light rain fell and thunder rumbled, rolling across the hills and pastures. He went directly to the barn, and after he fed the animals, he climbed the ladder to the hayloft. He looked around the hayloft. Justine had been trapped up here yesterday while everyone frantically searched and feared the worst. When he built the barn with a crew of Colter Canyon men, he hadn’t imagined family life. Now he needed to think of Cora and Justine’s needs. The first thing to go would be the heavy hayloft door.

One option was to simply nail it open. He decided against that plan, electing to remove the door entirely from its hinges. There wasn’t much need to close off the hayloft. It took him some time to gather the necessary tools. Rain drummed on the roof. A blast of thunder split the cold morning air. He was grateful Justine hadn’t gone missing today. He and Henry would have spent the day searching for her in the storm.

Just before he began work, Cora appeared. “Would you like some breakfast?”

He didn’t answer immediately. Instead he let his gaze wander over her features. He’d spent the night fighting his arousal. The sound of her voice brought it roaring back, igniting his blood with need.

“I’d like a kiss,” he said.

Her lips parted with surprise and then curved into a smile. “Shall I come up, or will you come down?”

He crooked his finger, beckoning her. She feigned a pout but did as he asked. When she got to the top, he helped her off the ladder. He pulled her away from the opening. With a smirk, he shut the door behind her, and pulled the bolt across.

“Now you’re all mine, Cora.”

He swept her into his arms and kissed her. She laughed softly, looping her arms around his neck. Unable to resist his need for her, he carried her to the corner of the loft and set her down. He shrugged off his heavy coat and spread it on the hay.

“Mr. Travis,” she murmured, widening her eyes. “Should I be afraid?”

“What are Henry and Justine doing?”

“I haven’t seen either of them.”

He coaxed her down and settled beside her, resting his head on his palm. “I have you all to myself, don’t I?”

Before she could respond, he lowered and captured her mouth in a hungered kiss. She moaned softly. When he stroked her lips with his tongue, she submitted immediately, parting her lips with a sweet eagerness.

He angled his head to deepen the kiss, plunging his tongue past her lips and tasting her. He lowered his hand to her bodice and tugged the buttons free one at a time. She tensed and gave a small murmur of dismay. He growled, knowing that she could feel his response.

When he had her dress and her chemise unbuttoned, he kissed his way to her breasts. Her nipples were small and the color of pale rose petals. He licked and kissed and teased until she writhed beneath him. Small cries of pleasure fell from her lips. He gathered her skirts, tugging the mass of lace and muslin to her waist.

“Nick,” she whispered. “Here?”

He nodded and smiled with wicked satisfaction.

“It’s cold,” she protested.

“I’ll keep you warm.” As he tugged her pantalettes down, he moved over her, needing to taste more. Her pale thighs contrasted with the dark tan of his hands. The skin was silk. She trembled beneath his touch, but let him part her thighs. Her flesh was a deep pink and glistened. His cock, painfully hard, ached.

Kissing her thigh, he moved closer to her and inhaled her honeyed scent. The shock of his mouth on her intimate flesh made her shudder, and her legs, still clad in stockings, pressed against his head. Gently, he tugged her thighs apart and held them wide. He licked and savored her essence. She shook beneath him, grew slick, and he continued until he felt her trembling grow to deep shudders. She cried out and arched beneath him.

Unable to hold back even an instant longer, he tore at the buttons of his pants, crawled over her, and settled between her thighs. She gazed up at him, her face flushed, her eyes dazed, and her hair a wild disarray. She looked both wanton and utterly helpless to him.

He watched her face for signs of pain. He was wild with need, but still had enough of his wits about him to take care of her. He stroked his cock against her slick folds. Pushing inward, he gritted his teeth. She was so tight. He took slow strokes, acutely aware of her every expression. But she never flinched. Instead, her eyes grew hooded. She tilted her hips and met his thrusts.

She slipped her hands beneath his shirt. Skimming her fingers along his back, she ignited wild, hot need inside him. His skin burned under her touch. Lowering, he captured her mouth for another kiss. His kiss was hard and possessive, but when she threaded her fingers through his hair, he softened. One moment, primitive lust tore at him, the next moment, tender passion.

He felt her build and shudder. Beneath him, she writhed, whispering his name as she shattered. Driving harder now, his climax tore a fierce, wordless sound from him. He lowered, covering her with his body while they both recovered their breath. He lay over her, propping himself on his elbows.

Kissing her forehead and her temple, he whispered his love to her. She cupped his jaw and smiled softly. “Tell me again, Nick.”

“I love you, Cora.”

Her smile widened. “I love you, too.”

“You’re the miracle I’ve waited for.”