The Barefoot Bride (31 page)

“Seth, I can't breathe,” she laughed. “The baby—”

He turned her in his lap so he could put his hand on her womb. “Were your other two births easy, Molly? Will having this baby be hard on you?”

“I'll be fine, Seth. I get a little sick in the beginning—”

“I'll say!”

“—but in a few months I'll feel wonderful, I'm sure.”

“If anything happened to you—I love you so much, Molly.” He kissed her until they were both breathless.

Molly laid her head against Seth's chest and gasped for air. “Is that quilt still in the loft, Seth?” she asked.

“It was the last time I looked,” he said with a crooked grin.

“Let's go.” She entwined her fingers with his and led him toward the barn.

He lit a lantern, and she raced ahead of him up the ladder to the loft. She was shaking the blanket out when he lifted her into his arms and kissed her hard.

She laughed and thrust her hands into his hair to hold him close. “You crazy, crazy man! Put me down.”

“I want to hold you in my arms forever.”

“You're going to get awfully tired over the next nine months,” she said, “as I get bigger.”

Seth grinned. “I'll look forward to it.”

He set her on her feet and took the blanket from her. “I'll do that.”

But as he shook the blanket to spread it on the straw, he heard a growl and saw two golden eyes reflected in the lamplight.

“Is that you, Rebel?” Seth said. He started
to shoo the mountain lion away. “You may have gotten here first, but I've got the better claim.”

When Rebel growled another warning, Molly put her hand on Seth's arm. “Seth, look.” She lifted the lantern and held it so it shed more light on the corner of the loft. There in the corner was a litter of tiny cubs.

“Oh, Seth,” Molly said. “Aren't they adorable. Wait until Patch sees them!”

Seth swore under his breath. “I had plans for that stack of hay,” he muttered.

“Let's leave her alone. We can go down to the pond. It's lovely there,” she said. “Come on. Grab the quilt, and let's go.”

Seth hadn't forgotten their night together down by the pond, under the stars. If they couldn't make love in the loft, the soft grass by the pond was a good substitute.

They ran nearly the whole way, and Molly couldn't breathe because she was laughing so hard. She sought out the spot where they'd made love once before. Seth had both hands on the blanket, shaking it out, when Molly teasingly reached up between his legs from behind.

Seth let the blanket hang from his hands, just stood there and waited to see what she would do.

Molly cupped him in her hand and felt him growing, felt the softness pulse and harden. She put her other hand around him so she held him from before and behind.

Seth gritted his teeth to keep from groaning, but he lost the battle, and a long, low moan issued from his lips.

And was answered by a moan from the shadows under the trees.

“What was that?” Seth said.

“What? I didn't hear anything.”

He pulled Molly's hands off him and put her behind him. “Who's out there?” he demanded.

Something moved out from the shadows.

“Maverick!”

The dog-wolf sat down in front of Seth, cocked his head and looked up at him.

“Scat!” Seth said, waving the beast away.

Maverick ran a little bit away and came back with a stick. And sat down in front of Seth.

Molly giggled.

“This isn't funny,” Seth said.

“I know,” Molly said, and giggled again.

Seth took the stick and threw it as far out into the pond as he could. “That ought to take care of him for a while. Now, where were we?”

He took Molly's hands and put them on the front of his jeans and rubbed them up and down. Then he left her to her own devices while he returned the favor.

While their hands teased, taunted, aroused, Seth leaned down and joined his mouth to Molly's. They played with each other, lips and hands, until their knees were weak. They sank to the quilt, and Seth pushed her skirt up out of the way and let his hands glide up her legs.

“Molly, Molly, let me love you/’

“Seth, I—”

Maverick barked to announce his arrival. It was all the warning Seth and Molly got before the wet dog shook himself, spraying them with a whole pond's worth of water. Then he sat down beside Seth and let the stick drop on the quilt.

Molly looked at Seth.

Seth looked at Molly. He grabbed her and roared with laughter. They rolled around the quilt, laughing until their ribs hurt.

“I can't believe he did that,” Molly said through gusts of laughter. “I'm soaked.”

“So am I,” Seth said, stripping himself out of his shirt and using it to wipe their faces dry. “I give up. Let's go inside and go to bed.”

Maverick followed them all the way to the
kitchen door, but Seth shut him firmly outside. They tiptoed past Patch's door to their own bedroom.

“Shall we light a lantern?” Molly said.

“I don't need any light,” Seth said. “I'm perfectly willing to feel my way around.” He promptly demonstrated by cupping Molly's breasts in his hands and letting his thumbs brush the tips, which immediately hardened into pebbled tips.

Molly gasped in pleasure. “That sounds like a wonderful idea,” she said. She leaned over and kissed her way across Seth's chest until she found a male nipple. She closed her teeth around it and nipped him, then used her tongue to soothe the hurt.

Seth mimicked her action, taking her breast in his mouth, teasing the nipple with his tongue, biting just enough for her to feel his teeth, then sucking until Molly moaned her pleasure and thrust her hands into his hair to hold him there.

Slowly, taking their time, they stripped each other bare. In the dark, every sensation was magnified. They were lovers, celebrating their love for each other. Gentle touches, adoring caresses, teasing hands and laughter. Lots of laughter as they searched in the dark
for the edge of the quilt and sheets and pulled them down.

Then Seth lifted Molly into his arms, held her close, and kissed her gently. “Come to bed, wife, and let me love you.”

He laid her down, and Molly slipped her feet under the covers—and leaped back up into Seth's arms with a screech.

“There's something down there!”

“Where?”

“Under the covers. Something
alive!”

Seth tried to put Molly down so he could light the lantern, but she was having no part of that. “Molly, if you'll just let me put you down—”

“I'm not setting one foot on the ground until you get that
thing
out of here!”

Seth finally managed to get the lantern lit. Sure enough, there was a lump under the covers, about in the spot where Molly's feet had been, Seth reached over and yanked the covers away in one fell swoop.

Bandit was curled up in a ball. As soon as the covers were pulled away, he began to chatter angrily.

“You think you're upset,” Seth muttered under his breath. “Patch!” he yelled. “Patch, get in here!”

Enough was enough. A frustrated man
could take only so much. Then, of course, he realized that both he and Molly were stark naked. He dragged his jeans on, while Molly grabbed a robe and drew it around her.

A second later, Patch opened the door. Nes-sie was with her, and so was Whit. “What's wrong, Pa?” she asked anxiously.

He pointed to the raccoon curled up on the foot of the bed. “Get that animal out of here before I shoot it.”

“I wondered where he'd gotten to.”

She scooped the animal up in her arms. “Anything else, Pa?”

“No, just go to bed, all of you.
And go to sleepl”

When the door closed behind the children, Seth turned to Molly. He smiled crookedly. “I guess I lost my temper.”

She walked into his arms and hugged him. “I can understand why,” she said. She kissed him on the chin, the cheeks, the eyes, and finally the lips.

The kiss grew, and maybe because they'd been interrupted so many times, they let their mouths say everything they were feeling. Seth took Molly's lower lip between his teeth and nibbled it, then sucked it into his mouth. His tongue teased the sensitive underside of her upper lip. Their mouths
touched tentatively, as passion built slowly but surely.

“Dare we try this again?” Seth asked. He could feel Molly's smile against his lips when she answered, “Sure. Why not?”

Seth didn't waste time taking off his jeans, simply lifted her into his arms and carried her over to the bed. He laid her down, then blew out the lantern and joined her. He slipped a hand up under her robe—

And there was a knock at the door.

“Don't answer it,” Seth hissed.

“We have to,” Molly whispered back, straightening her robe. “The children—”

Seth levered himself off the bed and lit the lantern. Then he stalked over to the door and yanked it open. “What is it?” he demanded.

Nessie stood there, her thumb in her mouth. “I can't sleep.”

Seth sighed. “Would it help if you lie down with us for a little while?”

“Uh-huh.”

Seth picked her up, shut the door, and carried her over to the bed. He set her down and went back over to stand beside the door. A second later there was another knock. When he opened the door, Whit and Patch stood there.

“Where's Nessie?” they asked.

Seth pointed to the bed. “Would you like to join us?”

Patch and Whit jumped into the bed beside Nessie and scooched down under the covers.

Seth didn't try to get next to Molly, just took the space that was left on the opposite side of the bed. He sat there and met Molly's eyes over the top of the children's heads. “You realize,” he said, “that this sort of thing could severely limit the size of our family.”

Molly grinned. “For the next eight months that isn't a problem.”

Seth groaned. “Good night, Molly.”

“Good night, Seth.” Molly blew out the lantern and scooted down under the covers.

Then three sets of loving hands gently tucked their parents into bed.