Authors: Linda Bridey
Tessa scooted her chair closer to him. “And you are still so very handsome. The first time I saw you, I thought I’d faint from your handsomeness.”
Dean laughed. “There’s my melodramatic writer.”
“Shush. Be nice. I can’t help it,” she said with a chuckle. “But I was very impressed with you. You were so manly and muscular and tanned. Nothing like the fops with their weak hands and boorish personalities.”
Dean said, “I didn’t know the word ‘fop’ before I met you. Marcus had to tell me what it meant so I didn’t look stupid in front of you.”
“There are all sorts of different intelligences. Yours just happens to lie in other areas, like knowing how to irrigate and which steers are the best quality. I had no idea about any of that until I met you,” she said.
“I remember the ride home on the day Marcus and I picked you up from Long’s store. We stopped at the beginning of our land and you asked me how my steers made me feel. I had no idea what you meant until you explained it to me. It was something I’d never thought about before,” Dean said.
Tessa laughed. “You looked so confused that it was comical, but I wouldn’t ever have laughed at you.”
“Thanks for that. I liked it when you told me how nice they looked, though,” Dean said. “That seems like both a lifetime ago and like yesterday, too. And now look at us, watching another grandchild get married. And there’re more to go. And nieces and nephews and good Lord. Looks like we’ll be coming to probably two family weddings a year, not to mention all of our friends’ kids’ weddings.”
“I don’t mind,” Tessa said.
“Me, neither,” Dean said.
Watching Sawyer and all of the other people out on the floor gave them such pleasure and they settled back to enjoy the show.
*****
March came along and Sawyer’s shop was very busy, which pleased him immensely. Devon still worked with her family, of course. Their house was a great source of pride for them and they loved it. Where they were situated, they weren’t that far from Sawyer’s Uncle Jack and Aunt Sparrow, which was nice.
They liked to sit out on their porch in the evening, sipping wine and talking about their days. Other times they went to the movies or played cards with one of their families. They were never bored or lacking for excitement. Just as they’d suspected, Joey’s reckless streak didn’t go away just because he was married. He, Snow Song, Skip, and Renee convinced them to go cow tipping, race their cars, and whatever else they thought up.
One night after their friends had left, they began getting around for bed, and Devon said, “You know, I love all of the fun we have with those guys, but one of these days we’re gonna have to settle down and act like married people.”
Sawyer smiled as he watched her undress. Her beauty was mesmerizing and he wasn’t able to look away as each item of clothing came off. She was curvy and he knew how soft her skin felt under his hands. Her dark hair fell over her shoulders as she moved and he was entranced by the contrast of her pale skin.
Going to her, he caught her around the waist, pulling her against him. The contact with her instantly excited him. “And just what do married people act like?”
“Well, you know, they make a home.”
“We can check that off the list,” he said, running a hand up her bare back. “What else?”
She shivered as his fingers traced her spine. “Well, they should have jobs.”
“Check. Next.”
“Play cards and knit.”
“I’m not knitting anything,” he said. “But we do play cards.”
She smiled. “I’m not going to knit, either. Sew a little, but not knit.”
“Ok. Next on the list.”
“Well, there’s one thing we should do and it’s really important,” she said, tracing a circle around the bullet scar near his shoulder before kissing it. She knew it was healed, but it just seemed that it needed kissed.
Sawyer’s brain fogged with desire. “What would that be?”
“Make babies,” she said.
He groaned when she kissed his chest again. “I think we definitely need to work on that one, and right away.”
Thrusting his hands into her thick hair, he caught her sweet lips in a kiss that burned all the way to her toes. His kisses had always set her on fire, but ever since they’d been married and had been free to make love, his embraces were even more powerful, more thrilling. She was more attracted to him every day, craving him as she’d never craved anything. Every night in his arms was a night in heaven. She thanked God for sparing Sawyer so that he’d been able to come home to her.
Never again would she afraid to love him during difficult situations, knowing that together they would overcome trying times. Sawyer was an insistent lover and her mind shut down as he pulled her down onto the bed with him.
Looking into her eyes as his senses were filled with nothing else, Sawyer saw his love for her reflected back at him. He’d promised to be honest and faithful to her and he always would be. While he was still grateful to his friends, he never wanted to rely on a crazy scheme to work through problems between them. Being married also meant talking to each other about what was wrong and figuring out a solution.
Their shared passion overtook them and time seemed to pass quickly and yet stand still as they loved one another. And later, as their ardor cooled, they quietly talked about all of their dreams and laughed about all of the insanity they and their town had gone through over the Christmas season.
“No one will ever forget it,” Sawyer said.
“And no one who wasn’t here would ever believe it,” Devon said.
“Sure they will. It’s all going to be written down and told by someone someday thanks to our project and the Historical Society. They’ll even write about you and me,” Sawyer said.
She looked at him quizzically. “They will?”
“Yep. I plan on telling our story and you should, too. I certainly plan on telling my story when it’s time to publish those pictures,” he replied.
“That sounds like a good idea. Then they can share in all of the mayhem,” she said.
Sawyer laughed. “It was entertaining, all right. But nice in a strange way. You know, how the town came together. That’s the sort of mayhem everyone should have in their lives. Improbable situations might come up, but even the craziest plans can work if everyone works together.”
“You’re absolutely right.” She couldn’t help kissing him. “Do you feel like causing some more mayhem right here?”
He grinned and then said, “Oh, I don’t know. Just what sort of mayhem did you have in mind?”
She answered him by wrapping her arms around him and kissing him for all she was worth. Sawyer followed her back into the sensual world they’d only left a short while ago, a willing accomplice in that adventure and whatever ones came next.
The End … Almost
Part One
July 8, 1901
“Your father is going to murder us,” seventeen-year-old Bobby Night Sky whispered.
His sixteen-year-old girlfriend, Emily Dwyer responded, “He’ll never know. He never found out about the last time, did he?”
Bobby grinned as they pushed Joe Dwyer’s Winton Stanhope car down the drive way. “No, but that was just dumb luck.”
“Bobby Night Sky, are callin’ my careful planning dumb luck? For your sake, I hope not,” Emily said. “We’ll just do it the same way we did last time. No one will ever know.”
“I just hope that he doesn’t have heartburn and get up.”
“It won’t matter if he does,” Emily said. “He can’t see through walls and I made up my bed so it looks like I’m in it. I bought that wig and everything.”
“What if they want to see your face?” Bobby asked. He just wanted to tease her now.
Emily huffed a little as they made it out to the main road. “They never do that. For an Indian brave, you sure are a Nervous Nelly.”
Holding back laughter, he said, “If we go back now, the chances are better that no one will catch us.”
“What? I’m not goin’ back now! We ain’t even gone for a ride. If I’m gonna get in trouble, I’m at least going to have some fun to make it worthwhile,” Emily said. “Ok. We can start it up now.”
“You mean
I
can start it up now, don’t you?” Bobby said.
Walking by him, Emily squeezed his large bicep. “That’s what God gave you all of those wonderful muscles for.”
He smiled, but said, “Yeah, yeah. Just get in and get ready.”
“Well, that wasn’t very romantic.”
A thrill went through Emily as she climbed behind the wheel and readied the gears. “Ok. Start it up, handsome.”
Bobby cranked while Emily gave the engine gas and the car came to life. Bobby hopped in and they drove away, the humid July breeze ruffling their hair. Looking over at Emily as they drove, Bobby thought that she was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. It was dark except for the moonlight, but in his mind’s eye he saw the rich, chestnut brown color of her hair and her vivid hazel eyes that turned greener when she was angry.
Well-defined cheekbones, full, satiny-soft lips, and a pretty jawline were all feminine versions of her very handsome father’s looks. She was her father all over again, including her reckless, stubborn nature. But she was also kind, loving, and generous. And there was no one else with whom he had so much fun.
“I see that you’re dressed for swimming,” he said, referring to her cutoff jeans and camisole, which she wore over only a brassiere. This mode of dress was shocking for the year 1901, but Emily couldn’t care less.
“That’s right,” Emily said. “It’s so hot that I couldn’t sleep anyway. This feels nice, doesn’t it?”
“Mmm hmm,” Bobby said, hooking a finger around the shoulder strap of her camisole and tugging.
She giggled and moved away. “Stop that! You’re gonna make me wreck.”
He laughed and took his hand away again. “You shouldn’t tease me by wearing things like that then.”
“Oh, but it’s all right for you to tease me when you wear only your breechcloth, like right now? Emily had to keep her eyes on the road so she didn’t become entranced by his tanned, muscular body.
“But you should be used to it by now.”
“Being used to it is one thing, but liking it as much as I do is another,” she said.
“Then what are you complaining about if you like it so much?”
“I’m not. Well, I am, but not about how good you look. It’s just not fair that you can dress like that, but I can’t.”
“I won’t complain if you run around half naked,” Bobby said.
She laughed. “I’m sure you wouldn’t.”
She pulled over near a popular swimming hole, a shallower tributary of the river near Dawson. She put on the parking brake and cut the engine. Silence settled around them and Emily looked up at the star-laden sky.
“It’s so pretty here,” she said, getting out.
“Yeah.”
Bobby joined her, taking her hand as they walked along the trail they knew well down to the water’s edge. Emily quickly shed her jeans there, revealing her pantaloons. Then they walked into the stream, the water cool rising against their warm skin. Bobby dove under and Emily followed suit, both coming up at the same time.
Emily let out a squeal when Bobby grabbed her around the waist, pulling her to him. She laughed as he nuzzled and kissed her neck. “That tickles!”
He chuckled and did it more, making her laugh again. “Do you still want to be my girlfriend? I can ask you that here. There aren’t any walls to walk into.”
“Shut up! I couldn’t help it. You’re the most handsome boy I’ve ever seen and you kissed me and asked me that. Any girl would have walked around in a daze after that,” she responded.
Her compliments were always welcomed, but they made him feel bashful, too. “Wow. There’s no other boy as handsome as me, huh?” he said teasingly, trying to cover his reaction.
However, Emily heard it in his voice and saw it in the way he didn’t meet her eyes right away. She thought it was incredibly sweet that such a powerful fighter like Bobby was shy about being complimented on his looks.
“You know I do,” she said, delving her hands into his wet, long, black hair. It reached down to his shoulder blades and she loved the silky texture of it. “Why, Bobcat Night Sky, are you blushing?”
“No,” he said too quickly.
“Yes, you are,” she said. “I think it’s—”
He cut her off with a hard kiss, something he’d been dying to do all day since he hadn’t been able to see her until that night. That it also served the purpose of silencing her was an added bonus. She wrapped her arms around his neck, returning the kiss. This was the place Emily felt the most safe; in Bobby’s strong arms and she had ever since she’d been eleven and he’d killed the young man who’d kidnapped her.
Abe Benson had been well-known around Dawson and no one had ever thought him capable of such a heinous act. Bobby and she had been going to see a litter of fox kits that he’d found when they’d fallen into a deer pit. They’d been trapped until Abe had found them. Under the guise of helping them, he’d pulled Emily out of the pit, but he’d left Bobby in it.
After knocking Emily out, Abe had taken her into the woods to a spot he used often. In the meantime, Bobby, using nothing but his hunting knife and sheer grit, had managed to climb out of the pit. His mother was white, but his Lakota father and their relatives had trained him well in all aspects of hunting and fighting.
Bobby had followed Abe’s trail, coming upon them as Abe was closing in to assault Emily. Bobby had gotten the jump on Abe, stabbing him in the back as he’d been preoccupied with Emily. Abe had been eighteen at the time and much bigger than twelve-year-old Bobby. He’d knocked Bobby away and had gotten a hold of Emily, using her as a shield. However, Emily and Bobby had worked together to trick Abe. When Emily had ducked, Bobby had thrown his knife, which had pierced Abe’s heart, killing him.
Both children had been traumatized, especially Emily, who had barely let Bobby out of her sight for several days after that since he was the only person who made her feel truly safe. In her eleven-year-old mind, he’d made the horrible Abe go away and his presence kept her nightmares at bay.
Ever since then, Bobby hated being away from Emily, not only because he loved her so much, but because he had a driving need to protect her and he couldn’t do that if he wasn’t with her. He hadn’t minded staying with her after the terrible ordeal. Their parents had curtailed their sleepovers after a while, but the youngsters had become sneaky.
Emily had started leaving her window unlocked at night so Bobby could come in and sleep on her window seat and leave early in the morning before anyone was up and around. Joe had caught Bobby sneaking in one night and had put a stop to it—or so he’d thought. He’d begun making nightly checks to make sure her window was locked, but she’d gotten even craftier.
If she could, she unlocked a window in one of the empty bedrooms so that Bobby, who was able to move silently, could get in. It was a simple thing for him to slip out in the morning with Emily shutting and locking the window after him. Unbeknownst to anyone, including her, on nights when Bobby hadn’t found any of the windows of the huge, one-story mansion unlocked, he’d lain down and slept on the ground under her window. Anything to make sure she was safe.
Holding and kissing Emily was as natural as breathing, and Bobby was never more at peace than when he was with her. It didn’t hurt that her sweet curves excited him or that she made him laugh so much. She was gorgeous and she knew it without being conceited about it. He saw the way other boys looked at her and he’d made it clear early on in their relationship that he wouldn’t tolerate any wrong moves towards her.
No boy was willing to challenge him after hearing how he’d killed Abe for doing just that. Emily was his and always would be as long as she wanted him. The only way he’d ever leave her was if she broke up with him and even then, he wouldn’t let her go without a fight.
A sound came from the thicket to their left that froze them. A cougar growl rumbled not far from them. Slowly, Bobby released Emily and withdrew his knife from the sheath tied to his breechcloth. Most likely the cougar had come for a drink and was objecting to their presence.
“Let’s get out of here,” Bobby whispered. “Move slowly.”
Emily nodded, cautiously swimming until her feet touched bottom. As they slowly came up onto the shore and made their way towards the trail, they heard another rumble from nearby that grew into a scream.
“Run!” Bobby commanded, preparing to do battle so Emily could reach the safety of their car.
Emily’s strong legs carried her swiftly up the trail. She heard movement to her right and veered to the left, a little ways off the path. She hit a large picker bush and let out a shriek as the cruel barbs pierced her skin. Bobby had followed her, making sure that nothing attacked from the rear. He heard her and came running, finding her firmly moored to the picker bush by her long, wet hair.
“Bobby, get me out of here before that thing comes to eat us!” she shouted.
“Shh! You have to calm down. Yelling will only agitate it. Hold still.”
Emily quieted as he tried to unwrap her thick tresses from their prickly captor. However, her hair was caught up too tightly for him to get her out that way.
“Emily, I have to cut you out of this bush. I can’t free your hair.”
“You can’t do that! Mama and Daddy will know we were out then and they’ll skin me alive!”
Bobby didn’t want to get caught, either, but it was better than being eaten by a cougar. “Do you want to live?”
“Of course, I do!”
“Shh. Then I have to cut your hair,” he said, matter-of-factly.
She sighed resignedly. “Ok. Go ahead.”
Bobby worked quickly and soon had her separated from the bush. “Ok, let’s go,” he said, sheathing his knife and taking her hand.
They ran to the car but stopped dead at the sight of a large cougar sitting on the front seat of it.
“Oh, my God! Now what do we do?” Emily asked.
“I don’t know,” Bobby said. “We can’t stay here, though. It could come at us any time.”
The cougar sniffed the seat, made a face, and began clawing the leather upholstery, its razor-like claws making short work of the material.
“Hey! Don’t do that!” Emily shouted.
The big cat stopped, looked at her, and growled at them.
“Ok. Never mind. You just go right ahead,” Emily said softly, backing away from the car.
Bobby did the same thing. When the cougar resumed destroying the seat, they raced away, running for the ranch as fast as they could. Reaching the safety of the front porch, they stood catching their breath for several minutes.
“We should have stopped somewhere to make love,” Emily said.
“What?” Bobby’s eyes widened.
Emily gestured broadly as she said, “Well, when I tell my parents what happened, they’re literally gonna kill me and at least I could die having made love with you at least once.”