Prince Charming

Chapter 17

"Are you out of your mind?"

Lucas asked her the question in a low whisper. He sounded hoarse. He was trying with all his might to control his temper, but the strain was taking its toll. His throat ached with the need to roar. He was shaking with relief because she was still alive and burning with fury because she'd taken such ungodly risks. But she was all right, he told himself for the tenth time. She hadn't gotten herself killed making the journey. He felt as though he'd died a thousand deaths worrying about her and the children on his race to get to them.

Taylor had never seen Lucas this angry. She found herself trembling in response to his fury. She wasn't afraid of him. She was just… nervous. She knew she was going to have to stand up to him. He needed to understand how things were going to be.

"I expected you to be upset," she began. "But seeing your anger is far worse than imagining it. I could appreciate it if you would try to calm down."

"Answer me, Mrs. Ross."

She had to force herself not to flinch. "Very well," she agreed. She tried to make her voice sound soothing. "No, I'm not out of my mind. Allie and Georgie and Daniel David have every right to call you father."

She straightened her shoulders and took a step forward. "And until they're old enough and strong enough to do without parents, they're stuck with the two of us."

She had completely misunderstood what he was asking her. He thought it was deliberate. He ignored her speech about fatherhood and turned her back to the question he most wanted answered.

"Why did you come here? What in God's name were you thinking?"

"We wanted to be close to you."

He wasn't buying it. "I was in Chicago," he reminded her. "You know where Chicago is, Taylor?"

"Yes, of course."

He nodded. "And so, in order to be close to me, you traveled over a thousand miles in the opposite direction. Have I got that right?"

"I don't believe it was even close to a thousand miles," she remarked.

He closed his eyes and counted to ten. Then he started over. "When did you decide to come here?"

She didn't believe telling him the truth would be a good idea now. He looked close to boiling over. He was spoiling for a fight, but she wasn't going to accommodate him. They were standing in the center of town, for heaven's sake, and their audience was growing by the second. She knew no one could hear their conversation. When Lucas got mad, his voice became softer, not louder. She counted that wrinkle in his personality a blessing.

"I don't wish to talk about this now," she told him. "When we have a moment alone, I'll be happy to answer all of your questions."

"I'm taking you back tomorrow," he announced.

She shook her head. She wasn't going anywhere.

He nodded. They would leave at first light.

Lucas didn't want to wait to get his questions answered, but he had calmed down enough to realize this was neither the time nor the place for their discussion.

"You know what, Papa? You know what?" Georgie was tugging on his pant leg and repeating the question for the fifth or sixth time. She was whispering, and Lucas realized she was trying to imitate him.

He picked her up and gave her his full attention. He stared into her wide blue eyes and suddenly realized she was going to grow up and drive some peace-loving man out of his mind… just like her mother.

"No, what?" he asked.

"Mama shot a damned snake."

His gaze flew to Taylor. "Is that so?" he asked.

She shrugged. "Children exaggerate."

"Up." Allie shouted her demand and put her arms out. Lucas lifted her into his arms and was surprised when she gave him a wet kiss on his cheek. She rubbed the palm of her hand over his beard, laughed with delight, and then told him her baby got wet and she had to cry about it for a long time. Lucas listened to every word. When she was finally finished with her story and had scrunched up her shoulders and smiled with self-pleasure, he asked her what else her mother had done.

The twins took turns telling on her. Taylor was astonished by their memories. She was also mortified.

Victoria would be, too, she realized, if she knew that Georgie had just told Lucas she was naked and crying and Hunter kissed her anyway.

Taylor started walking toward the wagon where Daniel David waited with Hunter and Victoria. She heard Georgie complain that her mama wouldn't let her see the dead cat and immediately quickened her pace.

Lucas followed her. He put the twins down when he reached Daniel David. The boy suddenly turned shy. He had his hands jammed in his pockets and was staring down at the ground. Lucas had a twin clinging to each leg, which made movement awkward. It didn't deter him, however. He lifted Daniel David up and gave him a hard hug.

The child squeezed him back. Lucas whispered something to him, and Daniel smiled while he nodded. Then Lucas settled the boy in one arm and turned to Hunter.

"I owe you."

His friend was in full agreement. "You got that right."

Frank Michaels called out to Lucas and started down the steps. The crowd had kept away during the reunion and now wanted to join in. Lucas was surrounded by friends who took turns congratulating him on his marriage.

The women weren't ignored. Both Taylor and Victoria were surrounded. Roily asked for permission to touch their hair. Lucas heard the request and told the giant to keep his hands away from his wife and her friend.

Roily immediately turned to Lucas. He had noticed he hadn't kissed his wife. Did that mean there was trouble brewing in the marriage? Lewis could see about the divorce if that was the case, and Roily could start in courting Taylor within the month.

"There isn't going to be any divorce." Lucas's voice was emphatic. He stared at Taylor when he made the announcement.

He didn't speak to his wife again until late that evening. It took them two hours to get away from the town. Everyone offered them lodging. First Lucas refused, and then Hunter was asked. He also said no. Taylor was more diplomatic. She thanked them for their offer and then explained that the twins were used to sleeping in the wagon, and that routine was important with all the commotion going on around them. The twins were exhausted and needed a good night's sleep. The men finally agreed.

Routine really was important to all three children, Taylor supposed, but the real reason she didn't want to stay in town was because of her husband. He wasn't going to continue to ignore her and when the confrontation came, she didn't want an audience. Since he was being so difficult Taylor decided not to tell him about the house she'd purchased. They could all wait until tomorrow to move in.

Love and trust. The two words echoed in her mind and with it came the questions. Did you have to have both or could one be enough? She knew the answer but she stubbornly tried to ignore reason. How much did she have to tell Lucas about her past?

The answer was as clear as the air. She had to tell him everything. Taylor dreaded the task and turned her attention to her children. When she was busy, she could almost push the worries aside.

They made camp in a meadow just to the south of Redemption. There was a clear-water stream on one side, and the cloistered area was surrounded by trees.

After supper was finished and the children had been bedded down in one of the wagons, Victoria and Taylor decided to have another bath. Hunter led them to the deeper edge in the stream and then gave them privacy. He told them to call out if they needed him.

Victoria was a little nervous. The moon was bright enough to see where they were walking, but not sufficient to see beyond the far side of the water. She kept squinting her eyes and scanning the bank, looking for more wild animals ready to pounce, and Taylor was just as apprehensive, though for an altogether different reason. Lucas had her rattled, and dear God, what would she say to him to make him understand she really wasn't trying to trap him?

Lucas had disappeared right after supper. He came back to camp an hour later. Taylor and Victoria were sitting on a blanket in front of the fire Hunter had prepared. He sat across from them, and every now and then he would toss a couple of twigs on the blaze to keep it going.

Both women had put on clean day dresses so they would be modest, but Taylor hadn't bothered with undergarments. As soon as she climbed into the wagon to go to bed, she would change into her nightgown anyway.

The men were talking in low voices. Victoria turned to Taylor. "Lucas is still angry, isn't he?" she asked in a whisper.

"He'll get over it," Taylor whispered back. "As soon as he realizes I won't be making any demands on him, I'm certain he'll calm down."

"He doesn't want us here. I heard him tell Hunter he's going to take us back tomorrow."

"We aren't leaving."

"Can he make us?"

"No, of course not," Taylor replied. She changed the subject just a little then. "Have you noticed he hasn't said a word to me in hours?"

"I did notice. Are you in love with Lucas?"

Taylor's gaze turned to her husband. He was leaning back against a tree trunk. His hand rested on his knee. He was listening to something Hunter was telling him. From his dour expression, he wasn't happy about what he was hearing.

"I do love him," she whispered. Her gaze lingered on her husband for a full minute before she forced herself to turn away. "I really must be out of my mind."

Victoria kept glancing over at Hunter. She couldn't seem to make herself stop. She remembered how wonderful it felt to be held in his arms. And when he kissed her…

She pushed the memory aside. Hunter was leaving tomorrow. " 'Men should be what they seem,' " she whispered.

"William?" Taylor asked.

"Yes," Victoria answered. "It's from Othello. Hunter should be hard and cruel and frightening."

"Was that your first impression of him?"

"Yes," she whispered. "Then he started being kind and sweet and considerate."

She sounded as though the man had tricked her. Taylor was sympathetic. She understood what her friend was feeling.

"Georgie told Lucas that Hunter kissed you."

Victoria started to blush. Then Taylor told her the rest of the story. "She also told him you were naked."

"Oh, God." Victoria's face turned bright pink.

Taylor smiled. "Did you want him to kiss you?"

Victoria started to shake her head, then nodded instead. "He's leaving."

"You're certain?"

"Yes. Why do I feel as though he's abandoning me? Isn't that the most ridiculous reaction? I barely know the man."

"You know him quite well," Taylor argued. "You've spent every waking minute with him from the minute we left Sioux City until this evening. You're falling in love with him."

"He's leaving," Victoria repeated again. "None of it matters. We're a sorry pair, aren't we? Neither one of us has learned from our pasts."

"Madam used to tell me I couldn't always have what I wanted. I can't seem to learn that lesson."

She let out a sigh and turned her gaze to her friend. "You should probably go to bed. You need your rest."

"I felt the baby move today. She's getting stronger."

"You're also strong," Taylor said. "It was a difficult journey and you never once complained."

"It didn't seem difficult. Hunter kept a slow pace, and if you remember, he insisted I walk by the wagon every afternoon."

"I remember he had to drag you out of the wagon on several occasions."

Victoria shrugged. "I realize now he had my best interests at heart."

"Did he tell you why he's leaving?"

"I don't want to talk about him any longer," Victoria announced. She gave Hunter a frown and then turned back to Taylor. "Do you think Lucas will want to talk to you tonight?"

"Probably. I'm dreading it," she admitted. "I honestly don't know what I'm going to say to him. I shouldn't have to soothe him, should I?"

"Just tell him the truth," Victoria advised. "If you love him, you're going to have to start trusting him."

"I do trust him." So easy to say and so difficult to do, she thought.

Victoria shook her head. "You've got an odd way of showing it. You trust him to protect your children, but I don't believe you trust him with your heart yet."

"Why should I?" Taylor realized she'd raised her voice and immediately lowered it to a whisper again when she added, "The man doesn't want to be married. How do you think he'd react if he knew I loved him?"

Taylor didn't wait for her friend to venture an answer. "Trapped," she whispered. She turned her gaze to Lucas and glared at him, while she wondered why he had to be such a difficult man.

"'Men are deceivers ever, one foot in sea, and one on shore, to one thing constant never.' William," she added with a nod.

"You've got that right," Taylor muttered.

Victoria let out a loud sigh. "I shouldn't be giving you advice," she said. "But I would suggest that if Lucas gets the upper hand in your discussion, and you can't come up with a logical argument, use William."

Taylor perked up. "And what quotes do you suggest I use?"

Victoria nibbled on her lower lip while she considered what would be most appropriate. A minute passed in silence, then she said, "I've got it. 'In a false quarrel there is no true valour.'"

Taylor repeated the quotation. Then she nodded. Victoria added another quote to use in the event Lucas's temper still hadn't cooled down. Taylor repeated the second quotation and nodded once again.

Victoria was yawning every other minute now. Taylor stood up and then helped her friend to her feet. Both women deliberately ignored the men. Victoria started to turn away, then stopped. "Don't you wonder why he rode so hard to get here? Hunter said he had to have set some kind of record. He seemed in an awful hurry for a man who doesn't want to be married."

She whispered good night and then circled the campfire to get to the wagon. She didn't look at Hunter. She knew she'd make a fool of herself if she tried to be civilized and say good-bye to him. She couldn't be sophisticated tonight. She was hurting too much. Why in God's name had she allowed herself to become so attached to him?

Victoria lifted the flap at the back of the wagon, stepped up on the crate, and then climbed inside. She was crying before she got the first button at the top of her dress undone.

Taylor was too restless to sleep. She didn't want to sit back down by the fire and be ignored by her husband any longer. She'd had enough of his rudeness. She decided to go for a walk. She needed a few minutes alone to get her emotions under control. The anticipation of the inevitable confrontation was making her a nervous wreck. She would have to explain everything to him. He deserved to know the truth, and oh, God, that meant telling him about Malcolm. She honestly didn't know if she had the strength or the courage. She turned away from her husband and hurriedly walked back to the stream.

The men watched her leave. Hunter was the first to speak. "Your face on fire yet? Your wife's glare was hot enough to burn you."

"Victoria was giving you the same attention," Lucas pointed out. "Are you going to walk away from her?"

"I can't see any other way," Hunter answered. "What happened in Chicago?"

Lucas took the hint. Hunter didn't want to talk about Victoria.

"Caulder was hiding out at his brother's place."

"You called that one."

"I didn't get him. A couple of bounty hunters got in my way. Caulder left in a hurry though. He didn't have time to pack."

"He left the gold behind."

Lucas nodded. "I wired Travis and told him where it was. Caulder thinks I've got his fortune."

"Are you going after him again?"

"I won't have to," Lucas explained. "He's going to come looking for me. They took Caulder's brother in. He was raving about Caulder blaming me for ruining his life. Said he'd get even. Can you believe it, Hunter? The bastard's talking revenge because I cost him his career and his gold? He's conveniently forgotten he ordered eight men killed and watched them die."

"He ordered nine men killed," Hunter reminded him. "You were also supposed to die, remember?"

"I remember."

"And you're still trying to figure out why you're still alive, aren't you?"

Lucas unfolded his legs and stood up. "Taylor's stewed long enough," he announced. He turned to go after his wife. "And I'm real curious to hear her reasons for coming here. They're bound to make me crazy."

Taylor had stood by the edge of the stream listening to the sounds of night. The crickets were out in force tonight. The sound they made in unison had a pulsating yet soothing beat. Every now and then an owl would add his voice, and Taylor was thinking how peaceful it was and how very beautiful the trees looked dappled in moonlight, when she heard a rustling of leaves being tread upon on the opposite side of the creek. The image of the huge mountain cat leaping at Victoria came into her mind, and she started shivering. Then she heard the howling of a lone wolf. The animal sounded close. Taylor whirled around and started back to the wagons.

Lucas blocked her path. He stood next to a tree not five feet away from her. One arm was draped over a low-hanging branch.

He hadn't made a sound. She didn't know how long he'd been standing there watching her. The noises of the night no longer frightened her. She felt safe again, and with that comforting feeling came courage.

She clasped her hands behind her back and stared up at her husband. He still hadn't shaved. The beard made him look all the more rugged, and she suddenly wanted to kiss him so she'd feel his whiskers rub against her skin.

"I did a lot of thinking on my way here," Lucas told her. His voice sounded mild, almost pleasant. "And I came to some interesting conclusions. Want to hear them?"

"If you want to tell me," she answered.

He crooked his finger at her. She took another step toward him.

"You and your grandmother had everything all figured out, didn't you? You weren't lying to me when you said I was your plan."

"We didn't have everything…"

He wouldn't let her finish. "I've been manipulated since the day I said I do. Isn't that right?"

She shook her head. "I didn't deliberately…"

Once again he interrupted her. "Yes, you did. Were you afraid I would say no if you asked me?"

"If I asked you what?"

"To be a father."

He answered his own question. It was beginning to become a habit. "Of course you were afraid. You didn't trust me at all, did you?"

With each question he asked, his voice became a little rougher and intense.

"Well?" he demanded.

"I'm waiting to hear my own answer," she told him. "I might as well go back to the wagon while you have our discussion. You have it all figured out, don't you?"

"Taylor, I'm trying to understand how I ended up chasing a wife and three children all the way to Redemption."

She bowed her head. "I know I have a lot to explain," she whispered. "I just need to figure out how." And to find enough courage, she silently added.

He shook his head. "No, that's not the way we're going to do this. I'm going to ask the questions and you're going to answer them. I've got quite a few stored up inside me. And no half answers, Taylor. I've run out of patience."

"Yes," she agreed. "I'll tell you everything." Tears welled up in her eyes. "And after you know the truth, I promise I won't try to stop you."

"Stop me from what?" he asked.

"Leaving."

He leaned back against the trunk. "Is that what you think I'll do?"

She let out a sigh and shook her head. "No," she whispered. "You won't leave. You're too honorable. But you'll want to," she predicted. "I won't blame you, Lucas."

She sounded heartbroken. He had to resist the urge, to take her into his arms and comfort her. He knew that if he touched her, he wouldn't get any of his questions answered tonight, and he'd already vowed neither one of them was going to bed until all his nagging questions had been answered.

"Did you know you were going to raise the twins when you married me?"

"Yes."

"Did Madam know?"

"Yes."

"When were you going to tell me about Georgie and Allie?"

"Do you mean in the beginning?"

"Yes."

She took a breath. She knew he wasn't going to like her answer. She'd promised to give the truth, however, and she wasn't going to break her word. "You weren't ever supposed to know," she whispered. "We were going to part in Boston, remember? I was going to take the babies away."

"Where?"

"I was going to choose a city somewhere in the West. Oh, I had it all figured out, Lucas." She paused to shake her head over her own foolishness and naivete. "I was going to hire a housekeeper and a cook and try to talk Mrs. Bartlesmith into staying on as their nanny. If she didn't want to, I was going to hire another qualified woman. I planned to disappear with the twins. Only Madam and I knew George had died. We didn't tell the rest of the family about the twins' father."

He mulled the information over in his mind and then asked, "So you did in fact marry me just to protect your inheritance?"

"No, I married you to protect the twins."

"Taylor, if I wasn't ever supposed to know about them, how was I going to protect them?"

His anger and his exasperation were both evident in his voice. She took an instinctive step back.

"You were my safety measure," she explained. "At the time, even I didn't fully understand. But Madam did. She insisted I marry you. She'd found out all about you. She had a file the size of a hatbox in her room. She'd gathered quite a bit of information about you and was certain that if I ever needed you to protect the babies, you would be there."

Lucas had tensed at the mention of the file. "Did you read the information she'd gathered?"

He wasn't able to keep the worry out of his voice, but reason pushed his initial panic aside. Her grandmother obviously hadn't had access to his war file. She never would have allowed her granddaughter to marry him if that was the case. There was also the possibility that Travis and his cohorts had softened the truth about him. By the end of the war, he had turned into a combination of a gunfighter and a bounty hunter, but the army hadn't looked at it quite that way. Hell, they'd given him medals for what they called valor. In Lucas's mind, killing was killing, and fancy medals couldn't change that fact. He'd put the medals away and never looked at them again. They were a part of his life he was determined to forget.

Taylor misinterpreted his reaction to her news about the file. She thought he was angry. She couldn't blame him. Madam had invaded his privacy, and that was terribly wrong, even though her intentions were honorable.

"No, I didn't read the file. I trusted my grandmother. She told me you were an honorable and courageous man. She even called you a prince among men. I believed her."

He relaxed against the tree trunk again. Taylor folded her hands together in front of her and turned her gaze to the ground.

"You told me about Redemption. Do you remember?"

"Yes," he replied. "You asked a lot of questions and I wondered why, but I sure as certain didn't think you were intending to come here."

"You said a man could walk for a mile and not see another person. I believed the twins would be safe here. Women have dreams, too," she added with a nod. "I always dreamed of one day living on the frontier, but I was going to be reasonable. I planned to wait until the twins were older. Then things changed."

"You needed my help in finding the children."

"Yes," she admitted. "And Madam died. She named the twins in her will. I wanted to believe Malcolm wouldn't look for them. Why would he care? They lived with their father and there wasn't any money to speak of that he would go after."

"Your grandmother left a considerable amount for each twin and that made Malcolm curious to find out where they were. Isn't that right?"

"He's their legal guardian now. I received two telegrams while I was in Cincinnati. You had already left for Chicago." She added that piece of information so he wouldn't think she'd hidden the wires from him. "Tell me about them," he ordered when she didn't immediately continue.

"One was from the banker telling me Malcolm had protested the will. Until the matter is resolved, the money can't be touched. The other wire came from Malcolm. He knows that the twins' father is dead. He told me the court had granted him legal custody of the twins and that he was sending an armed escort to bring them home to him."

Lucas heard the fear in her voice and wanted to take her in his arms again. He forced himself to stay where he was. He was determined to find out everything while his wife was being so agreeable. "Keep explaining, Taylor. I'm listening."

She couldn't look at her husband now. She turned around and stared out into the night. Telling family secrets was difficult, but the shame in her family made the explanation almost unbearable. Marian had told her they were never to speak of the atrocity. It was too vile and sinful.

Taylor gripped her hands together and said a prayer for courage. Her voice echoed with sadness when she continued. "I have been running away from my uncle since I was a very little girl. Marian warned me about him. She told me what he would try to do to me. She protected me from the demon."

She turned around and looked at him. She was searching for signs of disgust. She didn't find any and decided he still didn't understand.

"I slept with the dresser in front of my bedroom door from that day on," she told him. "And I kept a knife under my pillow."

Lucas closed his eyes. The pain he heard in her voice washed over him. He pictured her as a little girl trying to defend herself against a full-grown man's sick cravings and started shaking with rage. He shouldn't have been surprised, for in the time they'd been together, she'd given him sufficient hints. Yes, he had guessed the truth, yet hearing the confirmation still stunned him.

"Did he ever try-"

She wouldn't let him finish his question. Her words were hurried now, for she was anxious to get the rest of the sins told before weeping.

"The little dresser wasn't an obstacle for Malcolm, of course. He came into my room late one night. I didn't wake up until he sat down on the side of the bed. God, I was so terrified. I found the knife under my pillow and when he reached down to cover my mouth with his hand, I cut him."

She took a long shuttering breath. "He didn't know I had a weapon, thank God, or he certainly would have been able to take it away from me. I almost blinded him," she added. "He let out a scream of pain. There was blood everywhere."

"And then what did you do?" he asked. Lucas kept his voice as soothing as possible. His rage was burning inside him, and it was all he could do not to shout with fury on her behalf.

"I ran and hid under Madam's bed. She was out for the evening and I remember I didn't go to sleep until I heard her come into the room. I still don't know what lie Malcolm told her about the injury."

"Why didn't you tell her what happened?"

"How could I?" she cried out. "I felt dirty and ashamed. Such things weren't discussed in our household. I remember I scratched my knee once and tried to show Madam. She was appalled I would raise my dress in her company. Showing a bit of ankle was shameful and there I was, flaunting my bare legs. Cook cleaned the abrasion."

Lucas shook his head. Taylor missed the action. She was staring down at her hands now, lost in her own thoughts. "I was trained to be a lady," she defended. "And ladies did not talk about such vile things. The truth would have killed Madam."

He didn't agree. "You do her an injustice, Taylor. She might not have wanted to hear the truth, but she would have done something about it."

As an adult, Taylor realized Lucas was right. Madam was her champion. She would have protected her and turned her wrath on her son. "Children don't think like grown-ups," she said. "At least I didn't."

"What about Marian?"

"She couldn't tell anyone but me. She didn't feel she could admit that Malcolm had come to her room. Oh, God, I don't know how long it went on. She eventually married George, and after the twins were born, she became desperate to leave England and-"

"Malcolm."

"Yes," Taylor agreed. "She didn't want her daughters near him. George wanted to go back home. He wanted to raise his daughters in America."

She took another step away from him. "Now you know everything," she said, her tone one of defiance.

"And this is when I'm supposed to leave or want to leave but won't because I'm so damned honorable?"

She nodded.

He shook his head. "I'm not going anywhere. Come over here, Taylor. I want to hold you."

She shook her head again, even as she started walking toward him. She burst into tears as soon as he touched her. Lucas held her close and let her cry. He didn't try to soothe her, for he knew she needed to weep. She'd been carrying a hell of a burden, and it was finally time to let it go. She wasn't alone any longer. He needed to tell her that as soon as she was able to listen to him.

All the while she was weeping, she was telling him she wasn't going to be a worry and now that she was safe in the wilderness, he really could leave if he wanted to.

He let her ramble. Long minutes passed before she gained control of her emotions. He didn't have a handkerchief with him, but he guessed it didn't matter. She used his shirt to dry her tears.

Taylor leaned against Lucas and considered the problems that were still facing her. Would Malcolm send men all the way to Redemption? She didn't have an answer and put the question to her husband.

"If he offers enough money, they'll come."

"I could go up into the mountains," she whispered.

"Listen to me," he ordered. He was careful to keep his voice calm and soothing. He could feel her panic taking hold again. She'd gone rigid in his arms. Her voice was shaking again as well. He wanted her to stay reasonable. "You're through running."

"He's their guardian," she cried out.

"In England," he reminded her. "Not here."

She pushed herself away from him and looked up into his eyes. "Meaning?"

"We're going to do exactly what he did," he told her. "We'll petition our court for legal custody. Their father was American," he added. "And it was apparent he wanted his daughters raised here. They were living in Boston when he died."

Taylor couldn't let go of her worry. "Will the authorities here honor a claim made in England?"

"Not if we've secured our own claim," he assured her.

"Don't use Lewis," she blurted out. "He doesn't understand the law."

"How did you figure that out so quickly?" he asked.

"I spoke to him about another legal matter this afternoon," she explained.

Before he could ask her to be more specific, she turned his attention. "I want to thank you for your help, Lucas. I know I've turned your life upside down…"

He didn't let her finish. "Don't thank me yet, Taylor. You're going to listen to what I have to say first. Then you can decide if you still want to thank me."

She agreed with a nod. She was still feeling incredibly relieved because Lucas was going to help her fight her legal battles against Malcolm. She could barely keep from smiling. Her husband sounded serious. His voice had taken on a hard edge, but she wasn't bothered by it.

"I'll be happy to listen to you," she said. And then I'll thank you once again, she silently added.

"I want you to understand how things are going to be from now on," he announced. "You could drive a man right out of his mind. You know that?"

She shook her head. He frowned. "You've driven me to distraction these past weeks. I'm still having trouble believing you actually dragged three children and a pregnant woman halfway across the country."

She felt the immediate need to defend herself. "I didn't drag Victoria. She wanted to come with me."

"Do you always think you know what's best for everyone else?"

He'd nailed her flaw right on the head. "I sometimes think I do," she admitted. "But I try-"

"Don't interrupt me," he snapped. "And listen carefully. You don't know what's best for me. Got that?"

She quickly nodded.

"Did you go and see Lewis about a divorce?"

She was astonished by the question. "No, of course not. Why would you think such a thing?"

"You said you went to see him about a legal matter. Damn it, Taylor, what else was I supposed to think?"

"I don't want a divorce," she whispered.

"You're not getting one," he snapped. "Answer another question for me. Did you decide to leave Cincinnati before or after you received the wire?"

"I was getting ready to leave before the wire came."

She didn't understand what was behind his motive in asking the question, but it was obviously terribly important to him.

Lucas's heart was thundering inside his chest. He was trying desperately not to ask her the one question that had plagued him night and day on his journey to get to her. The longer he looked at her, the harder it became to keep the words locked inside. He was aching with his need.

He was so damned tired of standing on the outside of life. He wanted a home, a family, and most of all, he wanted Taylor. He didn't want to live without her. She was everything he'd always believed he could never have and certainly didn't deserve. Yet she was here, standing just a few feet away, and all he had to do was reach out for her and he knew he could have it all.

The reasons had to be right, however. He didn't want a wife who was beholden to him. He didn't need her appreciation. He needed her love.

"Why did you run away from me?"

Her gaze flew to his. She saw the vulnerability in his expression and was astonished by it. "Is that what you thought? That I was running away from you? These mountains are your home. I wanted to be as close to you as possible. I knew you wouldn't bring me here. You told me it wasn't a fit place for a lady. But this is where your heart is, where you belong. Oh, Lucas, don't you understand. I was coming home."

She couldn't tell if she'd convinced him she was telling the truth or not. His expression became guarded. He wasn't giving anything away now.

"I took so much away from you," she admitted. Her voice shook over the guilt she was feeling. "You valued your independence and your freedom, and like a thief in the night, I stole both away from you. I ruined your life. I knew you wouldn't leave me alone to raise the children. You're too honorable. I didn't want to take all your dreams away."

"Do you honestly believe I would have allowed you to do anything I didn't want you to do?"

"You weren't given a choice," she cried out. "A man should be able to follow his dreams."

"So you came to my mountains?"

She nodded. "I thought we could live the way Daniel Boone and his wife lived. He left her for years at a time, and in all the stories I read, it was mentioned again and again that he would bring meat to her. I also read that she was very content."

"You really expected us to live like that?" His voice was incredulous.

She suddenly felt like a fool. "It sounded perfectly reasonable to me for a while," she admitted. "But I have had time to reevaluate. I, too, did a lot of thinking on the journey here. I hope I even grew up a little. I learned something interesting," she continued. "You can't always believe what you read in books. Just because it's written down doesn't mean it's true."

The smile caught Lucas by surprise. Taylor sounded as though she was telling him something that was going to stun him.

"Cats aren't supposed to like water. I read they were afraid to get wet. The cat who tried to pounce on Victoria apparently didn't know he was supposed to be afraid. And now I think that perhaps, if Mrs. Boone had truly loved her husband the way I love you, she wouldn't have been content when he left her. She must have been miserable. I know I was when you left for Chicago. I couldn't stop thinking about you."

"Look at me," he commanded. "Give me the words again." And let me start living.

"I was miserable," she cried out.

He thought those were the sweetest, most magical words he'd ever heard. His laughter echoed through the stillness. The sound was filled with joy. He suddenly was whole again and free.

She hadn't expected Lucas to be amused. Hearing him laugh after confessing her misery devastated her. He reached for her then, but she backed away from him. He was much quicker than she was, however. He grabbed hold of her hand and held tight. She struggled to pull free, but he wouldn't let go.

They stood at arm's length now. She finally quit trying to peel his hand away from hers and frowned up at him.

"Listen," he commanded. Then he slowly tugged her toward him. He took his sweet time, and he didn't stop until she was pressed up nice and tight against his chest.

"I don't hear anything," she whispered. "What is it?"

She nervously looked to her left to see if she could see anything lurking in the brush. She couldn't look to her right. Lucas's chin was in the way:

He let go of her hand and wrapped his arms around her waist. He wasn't going to explain. In his mind, he'd heard the sound loud and clear. That was all that mattered to him.

It was the gratifying sound of his wife being reeled in. She was miserable. He couldn't be happier. He had her completely now, and he was never going to let go. He would make her happy, and he could certainly give her everything she needed or wanted. She didn't ever have to know about his past. The future was all that mattered. His future with Taylor.

His hand moved to the back of her neck. He leaned down and brushed his mouth over hers. Her lips were so sweet and full and soft. She tasted like apples.

She reached up and caressed the side of his face. His whiskers tickled her lips and her fingertips. She hadn't realized how much she wanted him to touch her until he started nibbling on her mouth and teasing her with gentle kisses.

Her past didn't matter to him. He hadn't been offended or disgusted. Taylor was surprised by the relief she felt. She hadn't realized how important his reaction was to her.

Dear God, how she loved him. "Lucas, take me to bed."

The invitation intensified his hunger. They had been apart for long weeks, and all he'd thought about was holding her in his arms again. He became frantic to have it all once again, to feel her squeeze him tight inside her, to show her how much he loved her.

His mouth settled on top of hers. His tongue swept inside to duel with hers. He caressed her shoulders and her back and then lifted her up against his arousal.

The kiss turned ravenous, and when at last he tore his mouth away, they were both panting for breath. He knew he was fast losing control. He lifted her up into his arms with the intent of taking her back to camp. He would make love to her in the privacy of their wagon, and even if it killed him to wait, he would make certain she gained fulfillment before he did.

He felt smooth skin against his hand. He came to a dead stop. "Where are your underclothes?"

She was fervently kissing the side of his neck. "I'm not wearing any."

He almost dropped her. His stride became long and purposeful, and when they reached the second wagon, it dawned on him that Victoria was inside.

Taylor wasn't as rattled as he was. "She's sleeping with the children tonight," she whispered.

He helped her inside, then followed. Their bed was already made. A thick mat, wide enough for two, had been placed on the floor of the wagon. A sheet and blanket covered it.

When Lucas let the flap drop back down, the wagon was pitched into darkness.

He stripped out of his clothes before she'd taken all the pins out of her hair. She was kneeling on their bed. Lucas stretched out next to her, then rolled onto his side and slowly began to caress a path up the inside of her thigh to the junction of her legs. His fingers brushed across her sweet flesh and then he began to stroke her.

Taylor's head dropped back. She closed her eyes and let out a low moan of surrender. The pleasure he was giving her was almost too much to bear. And when his fingers slowly penetrated her, her body instinctively reacted. Her hips slowly moved in the mating rhythm to gain more of the splendor.

He, had to take her dress off. She couldn't seem to remember how. She was frantic over their separation and tried to pull him into her arms. They were both kneeling now, facing each other. His mouth covered hers in another long, drugging, tongue-thrusting kiss. His hands stroked her breasts and then dropped to settle on the tilt of her hips.

Taylor's hands were splayed against his chest. Her touch was feather-light, tantalizing. His breathing quickened when her caresses moved down his body and she grew bolder, and when at last her fingers closed over him, he let out a harsh groan of pleasure so intense, he felt consumed by it.

He very nearly lost his control then and there. His mouth never left hers as he pulled her hand away from him and then wrapped his arms around her and gently lowered her to the bed. He held her tight against him and rolled onto his back.

His hand cupped the back of her neck and his mouth captured hers again while he wedged one thigh between her legs. She rubbed against him, and his control completely scattered. His hand moved down low and into her warm, damp flesh. He tormented her with his fingers until she was writhing against him, and then he lifted her up and slowly penetrated her. She knelt on her knees now, straddling him, and with his gentle pressure pushing on her hips, she took him inside her. The warm knot of pleasure deep inside her seemed to explode into a thousand fragments. She couldn't go slow now. She squeezed him tight inside her and then began to move.

The pleasure they gave each other soon became unbearable. Neither could hold back. He was the first to climax. He arched up against her and gave her his seed, and the force of his release triggered her own. She whimpered his name and collapsed on top of him.

It took both of them a long while to float back to reality. He stayed inside her for as long as he could and held her close until her breathing had calmed.

"I didn't know we could…"

"Could what?" he asked.

"Like that," she explained.

He could hear the blush in her voice. He laughed in response. "You were a hellcat a few minutes ago," he reminded her.

She let out a sigh of contentment and closed her eyes. "I liked it," she whispered.

"I know," he replied. "I've got the marks from your nails to prove it."

He sounded very arrogant and pleased with himself. Taylor was too tired to take issue with him.

Lucas was starting to like her, she thought. In time, if she really tried not to be so bossy and act as though she knew what everyone else should be doing and if she was able to prove that she could do just fine in the wilderness, maybe then liking would turn into loving. She'd told him she was miserable, and now all she wanted in the world was for her husband to be miserable, too.

She was just drifting off to sleep when Lucas rolled to the side and covered the two of them with the blanket. He pulled her back into his arms and closed his eyes.

"Taylor?"

"Yes?"

"We aren't going to raise our son and our daughters the way you were raised. They're never going to be afraid to tell us anything. They aren't going to be ashamed or embarrassed by their bodies, and by God, if anyone ever tries to touch them, they'll know how to scream."