Not the Marrying Kind (35 page)

Sighing again, she nestled deeper into
Joshua’s embrace. His arms offered comfort and solace. A deep,
abiding sense of peace came over her. Even though Joshua did not
love her, she felt loved all the same. Maybe it was her own love,
the love she still had for him even now, the love she yearned to
share.

And why not? Soon she would be forced into
wedlock with a man she despised. With Virgil Kendrick, she would
know no pleasure. She would join her life with his for Benjamin’s
sake, but it would be a life devoid of happiness, devoid of joy,
devoid of any marital bliss.

But she could yet know joy and happiness.
She could find bliss again with Joshua. Before she consigned
herself to the fate of her horrible marriage, she would give
herself to him once more and take, in return, all the sensual
satisfaction she craved.

Boldly, she lifted her lips to his, moaning
as they came together in sweet surrender. She wanted the kiss to go
on forever.

But finally Joshua pulled away. His eyes
held questions.

Placing a finger at his lips, she shook her
head. “No, don’t say a word. I know what I’m doing. I know what I
want. I need you, Joshua.” She pressed her mouth to his again.

In moments, their clothes were strewn across
the dirt floor, their hands exploring, caressing bare flesh. Their
lovemaking was gentle yet filled with passion, quiet, yet deeply
satisfying.

Afterward, her eyes closed, Kat clung to
Joshua, burying her fingers in his hair and clutching at him as he
held her against his chest. She never wanted this moment to end,
but it couldn’t last forever. She felt him stir.

“What are you going to tell your folks when
you get back to the ranch? You know they’ll be worried about you.”
He released her and stretched out across the floor. His hand
reached out and his fingers idly traced the lines over Kat’s bare
buttocks.

“I’ll tell them the truth, of course.” When
Joshua’s head jerked up, Kat laughed. “Well, some of the truth, I
mean. Not all of it.” Her voice sultry with sated passion, she
lifted her chin and sighed, then stretched out beside Joshua to
snuggle against him once more. “I’ll tell them I rode out to the
cabin to check on Benjamin, and I got caught in the storm. That’s
all they need to know.”

Joshua put his arm around her and drew her
even closer. “It’s still storming. You don’t think anyone will come
looking for you, do you?”

“Not a chance. They’re probably waiting out
the storm at church, but even if they’re home now, Pa’s not strong
enough to ride, and Emily Sue would probably melt if she got wet.
As for Mama, well, she’s not too likely to leave the house when the
weather’s bad unless it’s a medical emergency.”

He grinned. “Good. I want to make sure we
won’t be disturbed, because I think you still have a little more to
learn about womanhood.”

“Teach me everything, Joshua.” She rolled
over onto her back, eager for his touch.

“You’re a very quick learner, Kat.” He
whispered the words against her skin as he nuzzled at her neck. His
mouth moved to cover hers. Kat moaned as his tongue darted in and
out, teasing her with playful strokes.

She sighed with pure delight as he bent low
and kissed her breasts, laving her hardened nipples with his
tongue.

Kat marveled at how well he knew her, how
completely he understood her body’s desires, and how quickly he
moved to satisfy each desperate longing. His fingers danced lightly
over her skin, making her flesh burn with a need so great she
thought she would lose her mind with wanting him.

She couldn’t lie still any longer, enjoying
the exquisite pleasure he gave without giving in return. With
trembling hands, she reached up to stroke the hot, rippling muscles
of his chest. His hard, swollen staff pressed against her thighs,
begging for entrance. With a wicked grin, she obliged, spreading
her legs as she suckled the lobe of his ear.

“I’m supposed to be teaching you,” he
reminded her. “Making love takes time, Kat, and this is a lesson on
patience, my dear.”

“No, please,” she gasped. “I don’t want to
wait.”

He licked one finger, then traced a wet path
across her belly, down to the fiery-red curls between her thighs.
Finding the sensitive nub, he gently massaged, his fingers moving
in tight little circles, winding her up until Kat wanted to scream
with frustration.

“Please, Joshua! I need you now.”

“You’ll have to wait a little longer,” he
said, sliding his finger lower, parting her slick feminine lips,
then slipping deep inside her core. Kat arched up to meet his
strokes, clutching at his shoulders, desperate to have him inside
her once again. But he moved away from her, leaving her gasping for
breath, shuddering with an aching need that threatened to make her
mad.

“Joshua, please, please…” she cried,
reaching out for his hands, wanting the release his fingers could
give.

When his head went down and he covered her
with his mouth, her mind seemed to explode into a thousand pieces.
She moaned, and cried out as his mouth and tongue explored her most
private parts. She whimpered and writhed, then instinctively
reached down to hold his head in place, gasping as his tongue
dipped and delved, in and out, again and again. His strong arms
held her by the hips, bracing her as the first quivers began. She
knew enough now to no longer be afraid of the feelings. Instead,
she exulted in the ecstasy rushing through her body as Joshua
brought her to a climax more powerful and earth-shattering than
before.

But it wasn’t enough yet. She couldn’t be
fully satisfied until she’d once more felt his throbbing cock
inside her. He deserved pleasure, too.

As the storm raged outside their hideaway,
Kat took all the pleasure Josh could give and she gave back
pleasure enough to satisfy him.

Finally, their passions sated and the skies
beginning to clear, Kat reluctantly dressed. Maybe she should be
ashamed of what she’d done, but she felt only satisfaction, more
than sexual satisfaction. At long last, she truly knew what it
meant to be a woman.

Kat refused to think about her future, about
the wifely duties Kendrick would demand of her. She wanted to cling
to the memory of this stormy afternoon and hold on forever to the
love she’d found with Joshua.

“Do you want me to ride back to the ranch
with you?” he asked.

“No, I’ll be all right.”

“Are you sure?”

She nodded, wishing with all her heart that
she could somehow change the course of her life, but she couldn’t.
Neither could she say goodbye. It would hurt too much.

“Take care of yourself, Joshua,” she
whispered. She fled from the tiny shack as quickly as her long legs
would carry her, then seated once more in the saddle, she raced her
horse for home.

“Married? Now where in tarnation did you
hear a crazy thing like that?” Joshua pushed his plate away and
stared across the table, looking first at Cody and then at
Benjamin.

After Kat’s visit on Sunday morning, they’d
brought the boy back to the cabin, certain now of his safety, and
the last few days, indeed, had proved uneventful. For once, Joshua
had no worries on his mind. His only thoughts had been for Kat and
when he might see her again.

So what if she couldn’t cook? Or sew a
stitch? She sure as hell knew how to please him in other ways.

He’d sat down at the dinner table moments
before with a hearty appetite. Once he’d eaten his fill, he’d
planned to ride over to the Rocking P, declare his feelings for
Miss Katherine Phillips, and ask permission to court her
properly.

Now his plans—and his appetite—were shot to
hell. All that remained was an awful gnawing sensation in the pit
of his stomach. He shook his head.

“No way would Kat ever agree to marry that
good-for-nothing minister.”

Especially not now, not after the passions
they’d sparked in one another. No way would Kat give herself so
fully to him one day, and then, before the week was out, agree to
marry another man. She wasn’t that sort of woman. At least, Joshua
hadn’t thought her to be like that.

Cody slurped a spoonful of soup, picked up
the bowl and drank the rest down. After smacking his lips a time or
two, he dragged his forearm across his mouth, then let out a loud
belch.

Normally Cody’s uncivilized demeanor didn’t
ruffle Joshua. He’d grown accustomed to it. At the moment, however,
everything irritated him.

“Damn it, Cody, you’ve got no manners, and
will you answer the damned question?”

“Already told you the answer. When I rode
into town earlier, I ran into that woman.”

“Which woman?” he demanded.

“The one with the scarred-up face.”

“Maddie Marlowe?”

“Yeah, that’s the one. Thought I ought to
talk to her about a couple of things.” He glanced toward
Benjamin.

Cody had warned her about John Brooks. Good.
She deserved to know.

“And she told you Kat was getting
married?”

“Yep, that’s what she said, all right.” He
tapped the edge of Benjamin’s plate. “You going to eat them
potatoes? If not, I’ll take them.”

Joshua pushed his plate across the table.
“He’s a growing boy. Take mine instead. I’m not hungry.” He got to
his feet, then glared down. “And stop changing the subject, damn
it. I want to know what’s going on.”

He had a right to know, and damn it to hell,
Kat should have been the one to tell him. He shouldn’t have to hear
this news from his crazy-assed cousin.

Benjamin cleared his throat. “I don’t like
it much either, Mr. Barron, but you know how women can be.”

“No,” he said, his throat dry and his tone
humorless. “But I suppose you’re about to tell me, aren’t you?” He
raked a hand through his hair, leaving it wild and disheveled.
“You’re all of, what, fourteen? And you’re fixing to tell me how
women are?”

“Almost fifteen, sir. And I don’t mean no
offense. I’m just spouting off things I’ve heard said before. Sorry
if I spoke out of turn.” Benjamin looked away, his head hanging
low.

Joshua let out his breath. “Don’t pay any
attention to me, Benny. I’m a mite upset right now, and more than a
mite confused. Maybe I should listen to you. Maybe you can teach me
a thing or two about women.” He saw the boy’s Adam’s apple bob as
he swallowed.

“All I know is what my dad told me, said you
couldn’t ever trust a woman, they’d say one thing one time, then
change their minds and say something else next time.”

“Yeah, that does happen.” He kept his eyes
trained on the boy. “Your father say anything else?”

“Like what?”

“Nothing in particular. I’m just making
conversation, still trying to puzzle things out in my mind.”

Cody chuckled. “Well, you won’t ever be able
to figure out Miss Kat or any other woman, and that’s the beauty of
it, don’t you think? I mean, if we understood how their minds
worked, it’d take all the mystery out of it.” He suddenly rose,
knocking his chair back as he got to his feet. “It’s like this, you
see.” He reached down, grabbed a thick block of wood from the
floor, and held it up.

“What the hell, Cody?” For Joshua, patience
was a bit hard to come by right then.

“Now, just listen,” his cousin said, lifting
the block a bit higher. “Right now, this just looks like a chunk of
pine.”

“It
is
a chunk of pine.” Benjamin
exchanged glances with Joshua. Both of them rolled their eyes.

“Yep, it’s a chunk of pine, all right, but
think of all the things it could be once I dig around on it a bit.
Could be a mallard, or maybe a bald eagle. Might turn it into a
merganser, or maybe when I get around to working on it, I might be
more in the mood for a lark.”

“What’s your point?” His patience completely
gone, Joshua got up and turned toward the door.

“My point, Joshua, is that I don’t know
exactly what I’ll make out of this piece of pine. It’s a mystery,
and that makes it exciting. I’m intrigued by the possibilities.
Now, if I picked it up and knew it could only be a mallard and
nothing else, wouldn’t be quite so much of a thrill, you see.”

“No, I don’t see.” As usual Cody wasn’t
making much sense. “I’m going out for a while. Don’t wait up for
me,” he said as he opened the door. He headed first to the shed,
rummaged through the old bureau, then nodded. He knew what he had
to do.

When Maddie Marlowe opened her door that
evening and saw Joshua standing on the stoop, she frowned. He
understood her reluctance to let him step inside. Decent women
didn’t entertain men late at night.

“I’m sorry, Maddie. I won’t ask to come in,
but I need to have a word or two with you.”

She nodded. “It’s about Kat, I suppose.”

“When’s the wedding?”

“A week from Saturday.”

“Why is she doing this? She doesn’t love
him.”

“I can’t tell you what I don’t know, Mr.
Barron.”

He reached into the pocket of his leather
jacket, pulled out an envelope, and handed it to Maddie. “Take
this, give it to Kat, and tell her I hope she’ll be real
happy.”

“That’s crazy. You don’t hope anything of
the sort.” She looked at Joshua, her tired eyes searching his face.
“You think I don’t know how you feel about her? It’s obvious you’re
in love with her.” She took the envelope and stared at it. “What is
this? Some sort of wedding present?”

“Yeah, guess you could say that, except that
it’s for Kat only. Make sure you give it to her before she walks
down that aisle.”

“All right.”

“Doubt that she’ll ask about me, but if she
does, tell her I’ve moved on. Figured it’s for the best. Cody’s got
Benjamin to stay with him now. Two of them can look after each
other. They’ll be all right.”

Maddie smiled. “I’ll keep an eye on Cody,
too. I’ve grown a bit fond of him, you know.”