Northern Star

Chapter 24

Luke carried Hunter's unconscious body swiftly through the rainy streets toward Molly's place. He laughed to himself at having spoiled Wade Williams's plan. He'd hated Captain Williams after serving under him during the war and could imagine how angry the short-tempered captain was at this instant. From the looks of the gutter rats who were huddling around Wade in the tavern, they were up to no good. It had been so simple for Luke to slip from the tavern, untie Hunter, then vanish into the rainy darkness. Wade would have no clue.

The kitchen door rattled on its hinges as Luke entered. His huge boots left puddles with each step as he hurried toward the fire, left unattended to die in peace.

Luke shifted Hunter's body on his massive shoulder as he kicked a rug close to the fire. There'd be hell to pay come morning for trailing mud all over the kitchen, but right now he had to see how badly the young gentleman was hurt.

The rocker creaked in the darkness, freezing Luke's muscles into rock hardness. Molly's plump form materialized.

"Luke, what's that you got there?" she demanded as she stood, spilling the cat onto the floor.

"I found him, Miss Molly. He was beat up by some fellers in the bar." Luke lay Hunter on the rug at Molly's feet. The firelight danced across the blood on Hunter's face, reflecting its light in sparkling diamonds of red.

"Now, Luke, you can't go bringin' every stray you find on your walks," Molly scolded as she knelt beside the man. Though her voice was rough, Luke watched wrinkles of concern twist around her eyes. "He's a fine-lookin' fellow, ain't he?" Molly brushed the blond hair from Hunter's forehead. "But none of our concern."

"But, ma'am, this is the man I saw with Abram during the war. The first time I saw Miss Perry, she was with this gentleman and he weren't in much better shape than he is right now. She was dressed like a boy and this man was a Union officer."

Molly's eyes widened as she studied the unconscious man with renewed interest. So this is Perry's Hunter, she thought. Then she commended Luke. "You done right, Luke, to bring him here."

"Yes, ma'am. There was a group of men beatin' him up. Looked like they planned to kill 'im. I'm thinkin' he's more hurt than drunk." Luke nodded his head continuously, proud of himself for his actions.

"I'll doctor his head first." Molly reached for her small medicine kit. "When I'm finished, you take him upstairs and put him in Old Henry's room. Then you go after Abram. My guess is he'll want to know about Hunter bein' here. He may even want to send for a real doctor."

Luke continued to nod for several seconds. He warmed himself by the fire and watched Molly work on the cut in Hunter's scalp. "You're up late, ma'am," Luke said, more as a statement than a question.

"I have trouble sleepin' when it's dark. Too many years of being awake all night," Molly said, a slight flavor of her Scottish accent showing.

"Yes, ma'am." Luke watched her closely. He'd heard about what Molly had been; so had everyone else in town. But as long as she was square with him, he would give her all the respect she asked. Besides, he genuinely liked the old woman.

"There." Molly stood and closed the medicine box. "Be gentle with him, Luke, and don't let those big feet of yours go wakin' up Perry."

Luke cradled Hunter in his arms and eased through the main hall and up the stairs. He knew his way, even in the dark. Part of his job was to check out the house a few times each night. The womenfolk were still afraid one of Old Henry's nephews might try to return. The first night, Luke had stumbled into furniture, bringing Molly storming down the stairs waving a dueling pistol like a pirate boarding a king's ship. Since then he'd been careful to follow a precise path through the house in the dark.

As Luke laid Hunter on Molly's bed he mumbled, "By the time I go fetch Abram, I'm gonna miss my night's sleep."

To Luke's shock Hunter's eyes opened. The two men stared at each other as though both had just regained consciousness.

"Who are you?" Hunter mumbled, rubbing his head and trying to sit up.

Luke smiled like a new father. "Well, it's glad I am to see that chair didn't leave you permanently senseless. You're safe at Molly's Place. Luke's my name. I fetched you out of the alley after a fella name of Wade Williams slammed a chair into your head. Up till then, I was bettin' on you holding off all them gutter rats."

"Molly's Place? That's a new dining house, isn't it?" Hunter sat on the edge of the bed. He twisted his neck, testing the limit of his pain.

"That it is, but there are a few bedrooms up here. You rest and I'll go get Abram." Luke moved toward the door.

"How'd you know about Abram?" Hunter asked, the cold, steel gray of caution touching his eyes.

"Molly told me to go fetch him," Luke said as he opened the door and vanished into the darkened hall.

Hunter tried to clear his buzzing head. He'd heard of a prostitute named Molly opening an eating place, but he was sure he'd never met the lady. How could she know about him and Abram?

Hunter sat in the darkness thinking over the recent strange events and wishing he'd gone to bed and ignored the fateful note last night. One good thing had come from it-he wouldn't marry Jennifer. Her voice was still ringing in his ears. She'd said every hateful thing she could think of to him, but the announcement that his touch made her freeze bothered him the most.

Smiling, he remembered how she'd reacted when he told her that he knew all about Richard. Poor, whimpering Richard, Hunter thought. I'd never beg my way into a woman's bed. How could Jennifer prefer Richard to him? How could she say he was void of passion and Richard set her afire? Hunter shook his head. Her choice hurt his pride more than his heart. He'd known Jennifer for most of his life and thought she knew him better than any other woman. It hurt to know she was only interested in his money.

He held his throbbing head in his hands and wished he'd told Jennifer of the woman in his mind who'd set his blood on fire and warmed his heart as no other woman could ever do. How would she have reacted if she'd known he also cared for another?

As Hunter sat in the darkness a melody drifted through the night to him. A melody so soft, he could barely hear it above the rain tapping on the windows. Curiosity drove him to search for the sound. The door by the windows opened into a small office. Lightning lit the room long enough for him to cross to a half-opened door directly across the office.

Hunter froze in the door frame at the sight before him. A vision purer than any dream filled his eyes with unbearable beauty. His angel sat on the floor beside a newly kindled fire. She was slowly, almost absentmindedly, brushing her long black hair. The silken strands billowed around her like a black cape, in sharp contrast to her white cotton gown. He watched the vision study the firelight, unaware of how beautifully the lights danced across her skin and set fiery highlights in her black curls. He was afraid to move, for fear she might once again vanish. He'd never seen her so clearly, and from this dream he never wanted to awaken.

The music box stopped playing and his angel turned toward him. As she saw him she smiled, as if she thought him only a figment of her imagination. As though she'd thought of him coming to her many times and now he finally had.

Moving slowly toward her, he knelt beside her on the rug and gently lifted her face in his hands. Her skin was as warm and velvety soft as he remembered. He could hardly believe she was real, not a dream. He drank in her huge brown eyes, her creamy skin, her slightly pointed nose. Moving his thumb slowly across her cheek, he touched her lips. The angel he'd seen was flesh in his hands and as real to his touch as she had been the night before. Only now he could see her, every perfect part of her.

Unable to restrain himself, even as he saw the puzzlement in her eyes, Hunter bent forward and lightly touched her lips with his own.

"Hunter?" she whispered. "How…"

"Yes, angel." His words caressed her ear as his arms encircled her and drew her up to her knees.

"Hunter, what-" She couldn't finish, for his lips were smothering her words. He was drowning in a new ocean of feeling. Each time they touched, the need between them had grown until now all his world was here with her this moment.

"Don't talk," he whispered. "Just let me hold you before the world finds us again and I must return to sanity."

Tears ran down her cheeks, spilling against his throat and shoulder. His face moved against her hair as he felt its warm silkiness. Her heart pounded beneath her breasts, keeping rhythm with his own. There would be time for questions later; now all he needed, all he wanted, was in his arms.

She pulled her head back, looking full into his face. "This is no dream," she whispered in her Southern voice, which reminded him of all the gentleness of his mother. Raising her hand, she touched his cheek and jaw-line and he wanted to laugh with pure joy. The firelight danced in her warm eyes and set aflame his need.

Hunter bent and kissed Perry deeper than before, his mouth parting her lips. As the kiss lingered, he felt her body mold against him with its own longing.

The flame traveled down her face, burning her cheeks as it moved to her breasts. She ached with desire for him. She spread her hands into his hair and laughed with ecstasy. How many hundreds of times had she longed to touch him? Now he was beside her. "It's not a dream," she whispered again, finally glad he could know she was real.

Hunter's hands moved slowly up and down her back, sending through her a pleasure so great, she feared she might explode from it. With each stroke Hunter's hands went lower, until they covered her hips with fire. His muscular body molded into her softness and Perry felt the need of his manhood press against her stomach.

She sensed Hunter pulling her to him as his hands rested on her hips. She knew nothing of lovemaking, but she knew she wanted him. She wanted him in the very depth of her being. Her body pressed instinctively against him, drawn to the warmth of his body.

Putting his hands on her shoulders, he pushed her a few inches from him. "I'll love you on this rug if you like, but we'd be more comfortable in bed." Passion had made his voice low, and she found it both exciting and frightening. She shivered as he stood and pulled her up into his arms.

Her mind refused to think rationally. For one moment in time she wanted to float on the passions of her dreams. Closing her eyes, she rested her hand on his shoulder as he played with the buttons of her nightgown. They gave willingly to Hunter's touch, as willingly as she came to him.

She heard his sharp intake of breath as he opened her gown. Looking up, she saw the fire of his desire in his smoldering gray eyes.

He reached down, cupping one breast lovingly in his hand. "My God, how can one woman be so beautiful? My mind tells me I'm awake, yet my eyes tell me I'm dreaming. I can still hardly believe you've been so near and I thought you were only a dream." He bent and kissed each breast before returning to Perry's lips with a demanding kiss.

She heard his low moan as his tongue circled her lips and tasted her mouth. Perry opened to him as a flower opens to the sun. His kiss grew more demanding as she pressed against him, wanting to melt into him. Wanting to be as much a part of him physically as she had been emotionally for every moment since they'd met.

Hunter lifted her into his arms and walked the few steps to her bed. He carefully laid her down, as though she were a priceless doll. "Now isn't that better than the floor, Molly," he said as he began unbuttoning his shirt, never taking his eyes from her.

Perry raised on her elbow, a look of worry on her face. "My name's not Molly," she began. Why would he call her by another name?

"Now there's no need to play coy. I've figured it all out. It doesn't matter to me how you earned your living during the war. I want you so much, I'm willing to pay whatever you ask. Lord knows how you can keep those innocent eyes." He continued undressing. "I met a poor farm girl with eyes like yours once. Until a few minutes ago I thought you were only a fantasy. When I stepped to your door and saw my angel sitting before me, I could not believe you were real. So name your fee, lady, it's yours."

Hunter turned to place his shirt on a chair. His hand was trembling with the excitement of being near such a flawless wonder. He really didn't care that she was a prostitute; he had dreamed of her since he'd been injured. He realized now he must have seen her sometime before, and her image had become his model for perfection.

When he turned back to the bed, she was gone. For an instant he thought she still might have been only a dream.

Glancing around, he saw her standing by the windows beside a large dresser. Relief was evident in his face as he watched her draw something from a desk. She turned to face him, her huge brown eyes filled with pain, a small gun in her hand.

She didn't know what kind of game Hunter was playing, but she wanted no part of it. "I'm not Molly. I nursed you when I found you during the war. I lay beside you in the barn loft to give you my body's heat. I fought death with you. Last month I had to leave my home and you helped me." Her words were coming in gulps now as she backed away from him like a frightened animal. "You are the only man who has ever touched me. I thought I was bound to you-that we were forever a part of each other. I cannot believe I almost made love with you when I mean nothing more to you than a paid attraction."

Hunter's mind spun. The whiskey, the bump on his head, Jennifer's unfaithfulness, and now this. He tried to think of what to say. "Does it matter? You're here and I've dreamed of you for so long. I want you like I've never wanted another woman. I ache now from wanting you."

Hunter moved toward her. He watched her clutch her nightgown tightly together with one hand as she held the small pistol in the other. Her beauty intoxicated him, drawing him to her. The danger mattered little. He could still taste her kiss on his tongue, and he knew he was drunk on her loveliness.

"Stay back, Hunter," she said. He could see the hurt in her eyes, the fear, and something else… determination. The pain in her eyes shot through his very heart, hurting him far more than any bullet she might fire at him.

"I'll shoot you if you come any closer," she said as she lifted her chin and blinked the tears from her eyes. His hard chest glowed in the firelight and she longed to run her fingers over the soft hair covering his body. But she could not, would not, give herself so cheaply.

"What do you want from me?" Hunter asked, frustrated. The muscle rippled over his jawline, reminding her of his strong will.

"I wanted your love, but now I only want your absence," she ordered as they heard voices from Molly's room.

In an instant she vanished from Hunter's sight. In complete darkness she ran through the connecting door to the small office, across the office, and into the hall.

Hunter heard Abram calling him as he darted after her.

"I'm here, Abram!" he shouted as he grabbed his clothes and began dressing. Abram and Luke appeared in the doorway. They were both rain-soaked and muddy.

"Where's Miss Perry?" Luke demanded as his eyes searched the room.

Hunter nodded at Abram, noticing Abram did not return his greeting. Stone-faced, both men stood in the doorway watching Hunter dress.

"Sir, I asked you a question. Where is Miss Perry?" Luke drew himself up and clenched his fists. "If you've harmed her, I'll break you into so many pieces, they'll not find enough to bury."

"Slow down, Luke," Abram said as he placed his arm across the other man's chest. Luke's anger vibrated from his huge frame. "We'll get the answers."

"Is this man a madman? Need you hold him back, Abram?" Hunter asked as he buttoned his shirt. "Surely he can't be seriously thinking to do me harm."

"No, Hunter." Abram's words slapped Hunter. "I'll not hold him back unless you answer his question. If you've hurt Miss Perry, I'm planning to help him. I know you well, but it looks very bad with you standin' here in her room putting your clothes on."

"Now I know you're mad!" Hunter backed up until he sat on the bed. He lowered his head and thought for a long minute. What a crazy night this had been, and now his best friend was about to turn against him. As Hunter realized how badly he had misjudged Perry, he couldn't blame Luke and Abram for reacting so violently. He raised his gray eyes to the two men before him and spoke honestly. "I wish you both would knock some sense into me. I won't even fight back. I mistook Perry for another kind of woman. I hurt her very deeply. She ran out of here crying. Before you beat me to a pulp, can I find her and at least say I'm sorry?"

Luke and Abram looked at each other. A part of each man wanted to slam a fist into Hunter, but both saw the pain he already felt. Abram saw just how much Hunter cared for Perry, knowing his friend was the kind of man not given to hurting anyone. He'd help him talk to her, but Hunter had better make it right.

"We'll help you find the little lady, but if she doesn't forgive you, I'll have my turn with you," Luke said.

Hunter stared at Abram. "Why didn't you tell me Perry was here?"

Before Abram could answer, Molly stormed between the two pillars of muscle blocking the door. "Where's Perry?" Molly's keen eyes surveyed the room, but it was Hunter's face that told her all she needed to know. Stomping her bulk to within inches of him, Molly waved her chubby finger in his face. "You be either a filthy swine like your cousin, or a fool for sure. Perry made you out to be a god, and here you sit showin' what an ass you be. You're no better than any other man. Perry's an innocent lady who needed a slow, loving awakening. From the looks of it, you stormed in, threw the curtain back and started yellin'. Blast your hide, I'd like to-"

Hunter caught Molly's flying hand. "You'll have to stand in line. There's two ahead of you." He moved his head toward the two still blocking the door.

Molly glanced at Luke and Abram. Hunter lowered her hand to her side. He stood up, tucking his shirt into his pants. "You must be Molly," he stated, rubbing his forehead. "I wish I'd met you half an hour ago. But right now we've got to find Perry. I've got to talk with her."

"I saw the front door ajar when I came up," Molly lied. She had heard the attic door close but had no intention of giving Perry's hiding place away. "I'll stay here in case she comes back."

Hunter grabbed his cape, bolting through the door and disappearing before Abram and Luke could even move to follow. For a moment the two giants struggled for the same space in the door frame.

"Hey, leave me my door, boys!" Molly laughed at the comic pair. Despite her ranting of a few minutes ago, she was in a jolly mood. Molly had seen the passion burning behind Hunter's eyes. She knew he had looked at Perry as a woman. Call it lust or love-he would burn for Perry until the fire was quenched. Judging from the depth of his flame, it might take a lifetime to quench.