“Who gets to tell Eva about the barbecue?”
She smiled as the wind caressed the curls swaying back and forth against her cheeks. “I’ll race you. Loser has to tell her.”
With a whoop, she spurred her horse into action, leaving him standing there, a stupid grin on his face. He watched her ride, amazed by the natural seat she had. Then he noted she was getting farther away, leaving him with the chore of telling Eva she had to plan a barbecue.
“Shit!”
Matt threw himself into the saddle and chased after his wife. He didn’t remember the last time he had smiled and laughed, but he did both as he raced Hannah home.
Hannah didn’t recognize herself. She’d not only talked to the intimidating Mr. Stinson, but she’d also invited him to a nonexistent barbecue. Matt had been angry with her, and not because she’d made up the barbecue, but because she hadn’t asked his permission before doing it.
That fact alone had made her angry enough to speak her mind. She hadn’t even considered any consequences and amazingly enough, after yelling at her, he’d kissed her so deeply, it made her toes curl. There were definite advantages to being married. She could get used to the random kisses and the wildfires that erupted when their lips met. It was an amazing, thrilling experience.
As they took care of their horses, she kept sneaking peeks at him across the stalls. He was as handsome sweaty as he was clean. She’d never noticed men that way before. She wasn’t sure if it was normal or not, but her body certainly recognized the attraction. As though the elemental connection they had drove them to be together again and again.
And hopefully again.
She finished with Buttercup and stepped outside the stall to rinse her hands in the water bucket. As she bent over to scoop up some water, a groan sounded from behind her.
“Woman, you’re gonna kill me.”
She glanced up at Matt. “I was just washing my hands.”
His gaze landed on her behind. “I don’t care if you’re rubbing mud on your face, I wasn’t looking at anything but your ass.”
“Matthew!” Her cheeks heated at the bald statement.
“I can’t help it, Hannah. After that kiss, I’m just not thinking straight.” One large hand smacked her on the behind.
She yelped and straightened up, water flying every which way. He grinned and ran for the door.
“Remember, loser has to tell Eva.”
“Cheater!” Hannah wiped her hands on her skirt and ran after him.
His long legs gave him a significant advantage. There was no way she could beat him to the house. So she decided to cheat, too.
Hannah threw herself to the ground. “Oh my ankle!”
He skidded to a stop and turned to look at her. “Are you hurt?”
“I think I wrenched my ankle, Matt.” She touched it and moaned in pain.
Matt came back and knelt beside her. “Damn, Hannah, I seem to keep apologizing to you today. Let me help you up.”
His solicitousness was sweet, but she was playing to win. As soon as she was standing, she kissed him hard.
“Race ya.” She picked up her skirt and ran as fast as she could toward the house.
Matt cursed behind her and she heard his footsteps slamming on the hard-packed dirt. He was nearly on her so she dug deep for another burst of energy, reaching the door a split second before he did.
They slammed into the house, laughing and breathing hard. Joy suffused her, bubbled up inside as if it were a font. She’d never felt so happy in her life. How could a simple game of teasing with her husband bring such a gift? Hannah couldn’t help the wide grin on her face as Eva and Granny looked up in surprise from a game of checkers at the table.
“Looks like they had a good visit.” Granny cackled.
Hannah couldn’t disagree, even though Matt was probably still annoyed with her about the barbecue.
“Hannah has some news.” Matt’s eyes dared her to challenge him.
“I got to the door first.”
“No, you didn’t. My boot hit the bottom of the door before your hand hit the handle.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “Besides this was your idea, honey.”
Honey?
She was momentarily nonplussed by the casual way he called her “honey.” It was an endearment she’d heard a few times in her life, but never in regard to herself, of course.
“Oh, yes, the news.”
Granny and Eva watched her expectantly. She smiled and decided it would be good for her and for the Grahams to celebrate.
“We’re going to have a barbecue next Saturday.”
Granny’s brows went up toward her hairline. Eva nodded and gestured with her hand for Hannah to continue.
“I thought it would be good for two reasons. First, to celebrate the wedding and such. I want to meet the neighbors, too.” She glanced at Matt. “I know there hasn’t been much to celebrate this year, so I’m hoping we can change that.”
Matt’s gaze locked with hers and warmth seeped through her at what she saw. It wasn’t love, but it was respect and definite affection. She fell deeper into his beautiful eyes and even swayed toward him.
“What’s the second reason?” Eva’s voice yanked Hannah back from the spell she had fallen under.
“Oh, the second reason. After I met Mr. Stinson, I decided he wouldn’t be, ah, willing to sell the two-mile land belt. I thought at a barbecue with lots of folks around, he might be more willing.” She saw Olivia standing in the hallway listening.
“Sí, es la verdad.”
Eva nodded her head, then turned to Matt.
“Tue esposa es muy inteligente.”
Hannah looked to Matt to translate. He grinned. “She said you are one smart lady.”
Considering the amount of fussing Matt had done after she’d suggested the barbecue, it surprised her to see him smile. It was a small victory in the battle for her role in his life.
“I don’t think it’s smart at all.” Olivia walked in, her arms crossed and the perpetual scowl on her face. “We have hardly any money and you let her plan to waste it on a party? What about Margaret?”
“Won’t cost us nothing but a steer.” Matt scowled at his sister. “Folks will bring food. Margaret can be a guest.”
“He’s right. They always do.” Eva watched the two siblings carefully.
“Doesn’t seem right throwing a party so soon after Ma and Pa were murdered.” Olivia’s words were laced with anger but also with anguish.
Hannah felt Olivia’s pain in her own heart and understood now why her new sister-in-law was so resentful. As Matt’s new wife, she represented moving on after losing their parents, a substitute mother for the young ones, and a new head of house. Olivia was angry at her loss, and she took it out on the likeliest target, Hannah.
“They would have been happy with Matt’s choice,” Eva said with a calm expression. “They wouldn’t want you to grieve forever.”
“You don’t know what they would want, Eva. You’re the goddamn housekeeper.” A red-faced Olivia turned her wrath on Hannah. “And you’re an ignorant orphan who dares to think she can walk in here and take over our family. You’re an outsider and you always will be.”
Hannah noted the tears on the other woman’s face as Olivia fled the room. Her heart ached for everything the Graham family had gone through; they were now orphans, too.
“Don’t feel sorry for her.” Matt appeared at her side. “Livy was angry before our parents died and now it’s worse. She can’t allow herself to be happy and she doesn’t want anyone else to be either.”
“Pobrecita.”
Eva rose to her feet. “I will go find her.”
The joy and happiness she’d been feeling were now gone, and her stomach twisted back up into a knot. Life as a Graham was proving to be a daily challenge.
“I’m going to get to work.” Matt glanced at her lips and she couldn’t help hoping he would kiss her, but he didn’t. “I’ll see you at dinner.”
Hannah looked at her grandmother, who didn’t appear worried at all.
“You’ve got yourself an interesting situation here, child.”
It was an understatement of course. Hannah had a mountain to climb.
C
HAPTER
E
LEVEN
S
huffling sounds pulled Hannah out of her slumber. She’d gone to bed early, exhausted, and was still alone in the bed. She cracked one eye and realized there was a small figure standing beside the bed.
“Catherine?”
The little girl leaned down to whisper in her ear. “We need you in our room, Hannah. Um, Rebecca needs help.”
Hannah was on her feet in seconds, wiping the sleep from her eyes. “Is she okay?”
Catherine took her hand. “Yeah, she’s okay. She just ... needs help.”
The two younger girls shared a small bedroom with two narrow cots. The two boys slept in a room at the end of the hall, while the two older girls had a room next to the master bedroom. Eva rounded out the house in the room across from the master. Matt’s old bedroom stood empty.
When Hannah walked into the girls’ room, she recognized the smell of urine immediately and understood why Rebecca needed help.
“I brought Hannah.”
“Aw, Catherine, why’d you do that?” Rebecca sat on the edge of the bed, clutching her white nightdress.
“I can help.” Hannah felt bad for the girl. Wetting the bed at the age of nine was embarrassing, especially when her seven-year-old sister knew about it. “I promise I won’t tell anyone.”
Rebecca fiddled with the fabric bunched in her hands for a few moments. “Okay. I’m not a baby though.”
Hannah sat beside her. “No, I don’t think you’re a baby. You and your brothers and sisters had a bad thing happen to your family. Sometimes that makes people do things they normally don’t.”
“I don’t wet the bed. Never.” Rebecca sniffed.
Hannah squeezed her shoulder, remembering how it felt to wet the bed. The cold wetness and the stench were unforgettable.
“Then let’s get you cleaned up so you can go back to sleep.” She turned to Catherine. “Are there extra sheets?”
“Uh-huh. Eva keeps ’em in the chest in her room.” Catherine seemed to know everything.
“Can you get in there without her knowing?” The last thing Hannah wanted to do was betray her promise to Rebecca.
Catherine nodded. “A’course. I’m good at sneaking.”
“Not a big surprise.” Hannah pointed her toward the door. “You get the sheets while I go get some warm water.”
Catherine scampered out of the room, leaving Hannah alone with Rebecca. “I’m going to get some water to wash you up. Do you have another nightdress?”
Rebecca shook her head.
“I have something that will work. Stay here and I’ll be right back.” Hannah went into her own room first and found an old blouse that didn’t fit her bosom any longer. She had planned on making handkerchiefs with it, but now she had another use.
There was a hot water reservoir in the big stove in the kitchen. Hannah quietly filled a bowl with water and took a bar of soap and a clean towel with her to the girls’ room.
She had almost made it to the door when a big shadow appeared, scaring the life out of her. Part of the water spilled down the front of her own nightdress when she jumped. Matt’s scent washed over her and she let out a shaky breath.
“Hell’s bells, Matt, you scared the life out of me.”
“What did you say?” He sounded more than surprised.
“I mean, you startled me.” She now had the same problem as Rebecca with a wet nightdress. The cool night air immediately made her shiver.
“What are you doing up? And with a bowl of water?” He looked tired in the shaft of moonlight.
“I’m, um, the girls forgot to wash up before bed.” It sounded like a lie, and it was.
“Oookay ... . That’s sort of odd.” He touched her cheek. “Don’t be long.”
With that, he turned and went into their room. Hannah’s body had tightened at the mere brush of his fingers. She wanted to follow him into the darkened room and feel his body pressed against hers, the rasp of his whiskers against her neck, her breasts. Lord, she wanted to touch him.
“Hannah?”
Catherine almost scared her into spilling the water a second time.
“I’m coming.”
They crept back into the girls’ room. Rebecca sat exactly where she’d been. Catherine set the sheets on her own bed and waited.
“Rebecca, we’ll get you cleaned up. Catherine, you take the sheets off the bed while I help your sister.” Hannah set the bowl on the floor and waited for the girl to remove her wet nightdress.
After an efficient wash and brisk dry, Rebecca was in the old shirt that hung to her knees. It would do for the night.
“Better?”
Rebecca nodded and hugged her quickly. The fresh scent of soap and little girl enveloped her. She had grown to love these children; they were so easy to be with. They expected nothing but love in return.
The sheets were wet, but not soaked. It appeared that Rebecca had woken up when she started peeing. Hannah checked the straw-filled mattress and found it slightly damp. She used a corner of the towel with a little soap to wipe it down.
When she opened the clean sheet the girls stood on either side of her, holding up their little hands to help make the bed. It took twice as long to finish, but turned out to be a bonding experience between them. A secret to be shared.
Hannah bundled up the soiled sheet and nightdress. She would wash them out right away, to keep Rebecca’s privacy. The girls climbed back into bed and watched her expectantly.
Hannah sat down on Catherine’s bed first, tucking the blanket around her slim frame. As she bent down to kiss her forehead, Catherine squirmed out and hugged her neck.
“Thank you, Hannah. I knew you’d fix it up.”
Hannah smiled and moved over to Rebecca’s bed. She looked so small in the bed, her eyes wide in the lamplight. Hannah tucked her in too, and received another hug in return. She was glad to have helped Rebecca when she needed someone.
“You girls get back to sleep now. It’s very late.” They both nodded like little owls from their beds. “Goodnight.”
Hannah took the soiled linens out of the room and closed the door as quietly as she could. She walked through the darkened house with a familiarity she hadn’t had a week earlier. It was beginning to feel like home to her. She navigated her way into the kitchen and found a bucket.
“What are you doing?” Matthew’s quiet question didn’t startle her this time.
“Keeping a promise.”
He sat at the table and watched her. Perhaps it was a dream because she wanted him there. The house was so quiet, every move she made seemed to echo. She filled the bucket with warm water, then submerged the nightdress, soaped it up, and rinsed it thoroughly. As she squeezed out the water, Matt made a strange noise.
Hannah peered at him through the darkened room and realized he was shirtless. Her stomach flipped and her core throbbed once, hard and fast. He watched her and groaned over what he saw. What did that mean?
She set the nightdress aside and cleaned the small area on the sheets that had been soiled. The soap was slippery in her hands as she worked. She also kept glancing at her husband out of the corner of her eye.
After rinsing off the sheet, she picked up the bucket and the clean laundry. “I’ll be right back. I need to hang these on the line so they’ll be dry by morning.”
He simply nodded, a hazy figure in the gloom. She hurried outside and dumped the bucket, then hung up the nightdress and sheet on the line with shaking hands. The moon was bright, illuminating everything for her.
Something was going to happen; she just didn’t know what it was. Hannah stepped back inside and waited for her eyes to adjust. Matt sat where she’d left him in the chair. Her heart thumped as she approached him, anticipation making her mouth dry and her body tingle.
He wore only a pair of drawers, his hand inside the front of them, moving up and down. She stared, fascinated by what he was doing. Her body seemed to recognize the motion because her pussy grew damp and her nipples hard.
“Come here.” His husky whisper sent a shiver down her spine.
She moved closer, his scent filling her nose, ripening her need to kiss him, touch him, be part of whatever he was doing. He took her hand and kissed it, then tugged until she was right in front of him.
Hannah couldn’t take her gaze off the movement in his drawers. He unbuttoned them completely and exposed his cock to her prying eyes. His hand moved up and down the shaft, squeezing and pulling.
“Ride me, honey.”
Hannah had no idea what he meant. “Help me.”
“Spread your legs and lift your nightdress.”
She felt naughtier than she ever had in her life, but at the same time, more excited, too. It was that excitement that drove her to lift her nightdress and straddle him. The coolness of the night air felt good on the heat from her center. As she lowered herself, he took her hips and guided her toward his cock.
The head touched her entrance and they both groaned.
“We need to be quiet.” His eyes glittered in the semi-darkness as she slid down on his shaft.
She gasped at the feeling of fullness, of rightness. He was deep within her and this time she was in control of their joining. Matt unbuttoned her nightdress as far as he could, then pulled it down to expose her left breast.
As soon as his hot mouth closed around her nipple, she clenched, everywhere.
“Oh God, do that again.”
She used the foot railing on the chair to push herself up and down, while his mouth remained firmly latched on her breast, biting, licking, and sucking. Streaks of pure pleasure traveled from her nipple to her center, pulsing and tingling outward. She managed to find a rhythm; he pushed up and she pushed down.
It was so erotic, Hannah completely forgot where she was, only that she was with Matt and they were making love. She closed her eyes and reveled in it.
“I’m close, honey, so close.” He pulled down the fabric to expose her other breast. “I need you to come, too.”
She knew what he meant but she didn’t know how to get there. One of his hands crept between them and started rubbing circles on her nubbin of pleasure. The other hand tweaked the now damp nipple. She clenched again hard as a wave began within her.
“Matt, I think I’m coming.”
“That’s it, honey, ride me.” His movements became fiercer as she slammed up and down his shaft. His cock filled her, touched her womb, drove her to heights she never knew existed.
The storm of ecstasy slammed into her like a thunderbolt, stealing her breath, stopping her heart. She gripped the chair so hard, she heard it groan, right along with her. Hannah bit her lip to keep from crying out as her body convulsed with the most powerful pleasure it had ever felt.
Matt buried his head between her breasts, gripping her hips until his knuckles cracked. She felt his pleasure mingle with hers, his seed spill into her body. The heat between them could have melted iron.
She sucked in a shaky breath and opened her eyes. Matt stared at her, his expression unreadable in the moonlight. Before she could say a word, he got to his feet, arms firmly wrapped around her behind. He carried her to bed that way, his cock still hard, gently moving in and out of her.
When they got to the bed, she was disappointed when his cock slipped out of her. She wanted more.
To her surprise, he slid right back inside.
“Oh my.” Hannah spread her legs, reveling in the slow, gentle glide. Their first joining had been fast and furious; now he took his time. She loved it.
If she wasn’t careful, she might love him.
“Your hair. Spread out your hair for me.” His husky words made her do as he bade.
To Hannah, they were making love. This was what she thought married people did. If her mind wasn’t so scrambled, she might even admit she’d enjoyed the episode in the kitchen more. However without the frantic pace, he took his time touching her. He ran his hands up and down her thighs and stomach, up to her pouting nipples, then down to her thighs.
She watched him, the bright moonlight illuminating his every move as though he was bathed in silver. Matt appeared ethereal, not of the earth, a god of lore come to life. She threw her arms out and gloried in the amazing sensation of being with her husband.
Finally his pace quickened and his staff thrust harder, faster. His hand found her clit and flicked it as she was hoping he would. It didn’t take long to recall her pleasure, to bring it forth again until she exploded into a thousand stars for her silver moonlight man.
He called her name softly as he found his own ultimate pleasure, his hands tightening on her thighs. She clenched around him, pulling him deeper into her core until he touched her womb. Hannah wanted his baby and she truly hoped his seed would find fertile ground.