Dashing Druid (Texas Druids) (36 page)

“I know we were planning to leave soon,” she said, “but I don’t see how we can. They might need help.”

“Aye, I’m thinking the same,” he said glumly. He crossed the room and took her in his arms. “And I was so looking forward to spending the night with my darling wife in the best hotel in Georgetown,” he murmured, bending to nuzzle her throat

“Your wife would like that,” Lil breathed, clutching his muscled shoulders and tipping her head back to allow him easier access. “Maybe tomorrow.”

“Count on it, Mrs. Devlin.” Straightening, he swooped in to claim her lips, sealing his promise with a scalding kiss. He broke off at the sound of a door opening. Turning toward the sound, he allowed Lil a view of Wiley standing frozen with his hand gripping the handle of the bedroom door he’d pulled shut.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to –”

“Don’t be apologizing, man. Is all well?” Tye nodded toward the closed door.

“As far as I know.” Voice tight with concern, Wiley added, “I need to fetch Granny Higgins. She’s the midwife who helped birth Josh.” He glanced toward his son’s room. “If he wakes before I get back, can you mind him?”

“Aye, not to worry, I’ll keep him busy.”

“Thanks.” Wiley started for the back door, then stopped and turned anxious eyes to Lil. “Would you sit with Etta while I’m gone, Lil? I hate to leave her alone.”

“Uh, sure, I’ll be glad to.” She nodded, hoping he’d return pronto. She’d seen plenty of calves and foals born, had even helped a few times when the mamas had trouble, but she’d never been around a woman who was fixing to give birth. The thought of Etta’s baby coming fast, before the midwife got here, made her mouth go dry.

As it turned out, she needn’t have worried. Wiley arrived with Granny Higgins not more than a quarter hour later. The older woman had gray hair and a wrinkled face, but she carried herself with an air of quiet confidence that impressed Lil and seemed to reassure Etta. Taking command, she allowed Wiley a moment with his wife, then shooed him from the room and set about examining the laboring woman.

Lil had been sitting on a chair by the bed, holding Etta’s hand and talking to her, now and then wiping sweat from her brow. Thinking her job was done and it was time to exit the room, she started to rise, but the midwife stopped her.

“Stay there. Just keep doing what you’re doing,” she ordered.

Sitting back, Lil watched in fascination as the older woman drew back the sheet and gently probed her charge’s swollen belly. Beneath her fingers, the mound tightened and subtly changed shape as another contraction began. Etta uttered a choked cry and ground her teeth.

Mrs. Higgins waited until the pain eased, then quickly checked the progress of matters between Etta’s parted thighs. Embarrassed, Lil averted her gaze. The pain, she figured she could handle, but if a woman had to endure this kind of indignity, she wasn’t sure she wanted to go through it even for Tye’s child. Noticing her discomfort, Etta gave her hand a tug.

“Don’t be afraid,” she said raggedly. “When the baby comes . . . it’s worth everything.” She attempted to smile but it turned into a grimace as another pain struck.

Lil remained doubtful until a while later when, with a final mighty effort, Etta pushed the child from her body. She gave a cry of victory and collapsed in happy exhaustion, while Mrs. Higgins tended to the baby and tied off the cord. Watching Etta’s glowing face as the new daughter Wiley had predicted was placed in her arms, Lil felt a pang of envy and knew she could endure anything to experience such joy.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

The sun was high the next day before Tye finally pressed Lil into leaving. He’d spent the night tossing and turning on a pallet in Josh’s room while Lil lay curled up in the boy’s small bed. She’d been exhausted and had fallen asleep almost immediately, but knowing she was so near yet separated from him, he’d gotten very little sleep. He was in no mood to go through that again, but feared it might well happen unless he soon pried his wife away from baby Katherine – or Katy as her proud parents were already calling her.

“Thank you both for staying,” Etta said as they made ready to go. “I’m sorry for spoiling your wedding day.” Propped up with pillows on the brocade sofa, she gently rocked her sleeping daughter in her arms.

“You didn’t spoil it,” Lil denied. “We were glad to help, weren’t we, Tye.” She glanced at him, and he smiled and nodded even though he wasn’t nearly so happy about the delay.

As she bent to exchange hugs with Etta and kiss Katy’s bald head, he was again struck by Lil’s fascination with the baby. He’d been dazzled by her angelic smile yesterday when she carried the newborn from the bedroom and laid her carefully in Wiley’s arms. Since then, every time she looked at wee Katy, she radiated a feeling of near adoration that frankly astonished Tye. Knowing how she loved working cattle alongside her father and his men, he’d wondered how she would take to motherhood if they managed to start a family. Now he had his answer. It was obvious she longed for a child of her own. With God’s blessing and a bit of luck, perhaps they’d start one growing within her tonight.

Shaking hands with Wiley, Tye thanked him for everything he and Etta had done for both Lil and himself.

“I don’t want you to go, Uncle Tye,” young Josh declared. Perched on Wiley’s hip with his father’s arm supporting him, he stuck his bottom lip out, chin wobbling.

“Ah now, don’t take on, lad. Perhaps your da will bring ye down to Texas for a visit one day.” The grim thought that he might not be alive to see that day lurked in Tye’s mind.

Brightening, Josh patted Wiley’s cheek excitedly. “Can we go real soon, Papa? Please! Can we, can we?”

“Hush, boy!” Wiley ordered. Shooting Tye a glare that said
Thanks a lot,
he informed his offspring, “Your sister’s too small to go traveling. When she’s older we’ll see.”

Josh hung his head and pouted but didn’t argue, evidently knowing it would get him nowhere. Seizing the moment, Tye caught Lil’s eye.

“’Tis time, love. We’ve a difficult ride ahead of us down the mountain. I want to be done with it before the sun starts to go down.”

She nodded and, with a final round of farewells, Tye finally ushered Lil out the door, toting a basket of leftovers from yesterday’s feast at Etta’s insistence. The horses he’d rented waited out front. Lil climbed into the saddle, fighting with her skirts.

“Should of worn my britches,” she groused, unhappy because he’d insisted they don their wedding finery again.

“Wear them tomorrow if ye wish, but when we walk into that grand hotel today, I want everyone in the place to notice my beautiful bride. And
not
because you’re wearing a pair of pants.” He heard her grumble under her breath, but grinned when he saw the blush staining her copper-gold cheeks and the pleased smile curving her lips.

* * *

The entrance to the Hotel De Paris led directly into the dining room. When they at last stepped over the threshold late that afternoon, Lil stopped to stare in wonder at the interior. Although not overly large, the room was decorated in an elegant style the like of which she’d never before seen. The walls were crowned with some sort of carved and painted molding, below which hung pictures in fancy frames. The floor beneath her feet was laid out in alternating rows of dark and light woods fitted together perfectly. And the tables, oh my, the tables! Covered by creamy white cloths, each was set with delicate china and silver serving pieces polished to a bright glow.

Two tables were occupied, one by a well dressed couple in their middle years, the other by two men who appeared to be businessmen judging by their gentlemanly attire. All four of the diners paused to stare at Lil and Tye. Throwing back her shoulders and returning their curious looks, Lil was grateful for Tye’s insistence that they wear their wedding togs.

Drawing her attention, a pleasant-faced man in a neatly pressed black suit hurried forward to greet them. He smiled cordially.

“Good evening,
monsieur et madame.
I am Louis Dupuy. May I be of service?” he inquired in an accent Lil recognized as French, having heard it once or twice in the past.

“Indeed ye may, sir,” Tye replied. “We’ll be needing a room for the night if ye please.”

“Of course, and do you wish dinner as well?”

“Nay, we’ve our own store of food.” Tye nodded toward the basket of food Lil carried. His own hands were filled with their possessions, Lil’s saddlebags among them. “Unless my wife prefers to eat down here,” he added, giving her a conspiratorial wink.

“No!” She shook her head emphatically. “I . . . I’d rather eat later. In our room.” Flustered, she hid her eyes beneath a screen of lashes, wondering if the hotel man could tell they were newly married. If he did, he didn’t let on.

“As you wish. Step this way to register,
s’il vous plait.
”

Moments later, the Frenchman ushered them upstairs to their room. Opening the door, he stepped back. “If there is anything I or my housekeeper, Madame Gally, may do for you, please do not hesitate to ask.
Bonsoir, mes amis.”
He smiled with a twinkle in his eyes that said perhaps he did realize this was their wedding night and left them to their privacy.

“Wait here a moment, aye?” Tye said before Lil could enter the room. Giving her a quick kiss, he stepped inside and dumped their bags in a corner.

“Why can’t I come in?” she asked.

“Give me a wee moment.” He came back to take the food basket from her, leaving her even more perplexed. While he went to deposit the basket on a small table near the lace-curtained window, she stuck her head in and had time to admire the room’s ornately carved furniture, lovely woven rug and fine bed linens. Then her husband returned to her.

With a grin, he bent and swept her up into his arms.

She laughed in surprise. “What are you doing?”

“Why, I’m carrying ye over the threshold, Mrs. Devlin. What else would I be doing?”

A warm glow pervaded Lil. Watching the sweet, sensual curve of Tye’s mouth, she wound her arms around his neck. “Mrs. Devlin
.
I like the sound of that,” she whispered in his ear.

“So do I, love,” he said, turning his head to capture her lips. He kicked the door shut behind them and stood her on her feet, his mouth never leaving hers. By the time he finally ended the soul-deep kiss she was breathing hard and clinging to him for support. He gazed at her, eyes soft as blue water and dazzling as the starlit sky.

“God, you’re beautiful,” he murmured, fingertips tracing the bones of her face. They glided down her throat and across her shoulders, then backtracked to slip down the vee neck of her bodice. She closed her eyes when his hand dipped beneath the lacy edge to investigate the upper curves of her breasts and the valley between. His caress sent ripples of desire through her and made her pulse race.

“We’d best get ye out of this gown, love,” he said hoarsely. “I treasure the sight of ye in it, but I fear I’ll rip it from your body if I can’t touch ye soon.”

She met his hungry gaze with heavy-lidded passion, nodded and presented her back to him. “Undo me.”

Muttering impatiently, he fought open the row of tiny hooks, then turned her to face him. She grabbed the neckline of her gown and started to pull it down, but he stopped her hands.

“Nay, let me,” he said, and with a mercurial change of mood, he slowly inched the gown off her shoulders and down her arms until it barely clung to her breasts. Bending, he kissed her throat and the areas he’d uncovered.

Lil slid her hands under his coat, feeling the fiery warmth of him through his starched linen shirt. Anxious to touch him, she tugged open the shirt buttons, parted the material and splayed her hands across his bare chest. He groaned and pushed her gown lower, his mouth descending to explore new territory.

They undressed each other piece by piece, kissing, fondling, arousing, until at last they stood clothed only in the soft light of the setting sun filtering through the curtains. Held motionless by the joy of this moment, they gazed at one another.

Lil was the first to reach out. Caressing Tye’s chest, she delighted in the firmness of honed muscles and the crinkle of curly dark hair. The scars from his battle with the panther had lightened. With time they would fade to white. Not that they bothered her; they were a part of him.

A tremor shook him; his hungry gaze seared her already heated flesh. Taking her hand, he led her to the bed and tossed back the covers. He laughed. “D’ye think we’ll know how to do this on a feather tick instead of in the grass?”

“We’ll figure it out.” She ran her fingers down the groove of his spine as he straightened, and with a groan, he turned to face her.

“Aye, we will.” Sitting on the bed, he drew her onto his lap and kissed her, tongue playing hide and seek with hers while his hand attended to her breasts. His shaft stood rigid against her hip, causing her body to thrum with excitement.

He twisted, laying her on the bed. “I meant to take this slow,” he said, hoarse with desire, “but I need ye now, Lily. I can’t wait.”

“Neither can I.” She clutched his shoulders. “Do it. Now!”

Growling low in his throat, he sealed her lips with his, parted her thighs and took her. She welcomed him with a shudder of relief that soon grew into frantic need. He was her only reality, the link between them her only hope of satisfying that need.

Deprived of each other as they had been, they spiraled quickly to an explosive finish. Afterward, Lil lay limp with contentment, her head tucked in the hollow of Tye’s shoulder and her arm across his chest. Feeling his lips graze her brow, she smiled and drifted to sleep.

It was dark when Tye woke her with a kiss. She had no idea how much time had passed, but her stomach rumbled, reminding her she hadn’t eaten in many hours.

“Sorry,” she said, embarrassed by her body’s demand for food.

Tye chuckled. “No need to apologize. I’m starving myself. ’Tis why I woke ye. We need to eat.” Rolling away, he rose to his feet.

Lil heard him moving around the room. Then came the sound of a match being struck; light flared when he lit a lamp. Blinking as her eyes adjusted to the brightness, she sat up, clutching the sheet to her chest. Her gaze homed in on Tye, admiring his masculine form as he retrieved their food basket and brought it over to the bed.

“Here ye are, a picnic in bed, me darlin’.”

“Good idea,” she said, letting the sheet drop to her lap when he sat beside her. Her stomach sounded off again, yet, as he laid out the contents of the basket around them, she was less interested in eating than in the play of muscles across his back. Drawn to run her hand over that rippling expanse, she won a lusty grin from him. He cupped her breast and teased the crest with his thumb, making her breath catch.

“You’re wicked tempting, colleen, but I need food or I’ll be no good to ye.”

She giggled, pleased with herself. “Then hurry up and eat, Devlin.”

They made short work of the ham and other leftovers Etta had sent. When they were both sated, Tye quickly gathered up the remains of their meal, stuffed everything in the basket and set it on the floor by the bed. Then, with a look that set Lil on fire, he took her in his arms. They made love slowly this time, wrapped in the lamp glow and a dreamy haze of delight. At the shattering climax, it seemed to Lil they slipped the bonds of flesh to become one spirit, a being of light and beauty.