Tender Touch by Charlene Raddon

Author:Charlene Raddon [Raddon, Charlene]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Literature & Fiction, Romance, Historical, Western, Historical Romance, Westerns
ISBN: 9780821747773
Amazon: B009OMPHEY
Goodreads: 2833872
Publisher: Zebra
Published: 1994-12-01T06:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seventeen

Rain pelted Nigh’s head and shoulders as he unsaddled and hobbled the gelding. Brilliant shafts of lightning lit up the sky like a sunny afternoon, then plunged the world in darkness again.

But the man’s attention was on the faint glow of lantern light that penetrated the wagon cover. He smiled, thinking maybe she had waited up for him. Waited for him to come home. A warmth filled him that had nothing to do with heat, or desire. When he reached the wagon he heard her cry out his name. Heard her fear. And the warmth vanished.

Another nightmare. Quickly, he hoisted himself into the wagon. As he had expected, she lay in bed, asleep.

Lantern light limned her cheekbone, firm chin, slightly up-tilted nose, and gracefully arched brow. It secreted her long neck in subtle, seductive shadows that invited his kiss. The single brown braid that lay on the quilt jerked as she tossed her head from side to side. Her breathing was ragged. The cat, disturbed as much by the storm as by Brianna’s agitation, opened slitted yellow eyes and moved to Nigh’s bed. Beneath the rumble of thunder and the furious tattoo of rain overhead, Nigh heard her whimper. “No, Barret. Don’t—”

Laying down beside her, Col slipped one arm under her shoulders and drew her close, murmuring as she struggled against him, “Easy, sweetheart. It’s just me.” Then he lapsed into the more musical sounds of the Shoshone tongue and pressed his lips to her moist temple. Gradually she calmed. A moment later her eyes opened.

“Col?”

“Yeah, you were dreaming.”

Outside, the rain became hail the size of bullets that ricocheted inside the water bucket and hammered the wooden body of the wagon. The temperature fell. Brianna barely noticed. She was lost in the feel of his arms around her, so good, so warm, so right. She longed to keep him there beside her. All night. Forever. But she knew what he would want from her and the thought filled her with fear.

“You left the light on for me.” He smoothed a strand of hair from her face.

“I . . . yes, it was so late.”

She couldn’t tell him it was more out of fear of Edward Magrudge. Col might kill the man, or get hurt trying.

Aware that she had not asked where he’d been, Nigh studied her. All the way back to camp he had debated whether or not to tell her what he had learned. Would the fact that her husband was still out there hunting for her come between them? How could it not? She was too good a woman to give her love to one man while she legally belonged to another. Nigh should be a good enough man not to ask it of her. But the truth was that he didn’t care who she was legally bound to, as long as it was him she wanted. They were the sun and the moon. They belonged together.

Brianna couldn’t see the expression in his eyes. The lantern behind him cast his face in shadow.

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