Chapter Eight
On Saturday, Kathryn and Elizabeth were sitting on the porch when Jess came from the barn, leading two saddled horses, and asked Kathryn if she wanted to take a ride.
"I'd love to, but are you sure we should chance it?" She glanced at the sky. "Looks like it might rain."
"I ain't worried. It don't matter if we get a few sprinkles on us, does it?"
She grinned. "I'll change into my riding clothes."
Elizabeth immediately grabbed Jess's hand. "Where are we going, Papa?"
Jess sat down in a chair and lifted her onto his lap. "You're not comin' this time, honey. This time it's just your ma and me."
"Oh, please, Papa? May I come too?"
"I'll tell ya what. You be patient and stay here with Daisy and Mike this time. And tomorrow I'll take ya to a special place I know about, where you can pick wildflowers. How does that sound?"
"Sounds fun!"
He cuddled his child until Kathryn returned.
"All right, then. Off ya go." Jess gave Elizabeth a big hug and kiss and stood her on the porch. Kathryn also kissed her goodbye, and Daisy came to the door to bring the little girl inside. Jess and Kathryn walked to the waiting horses.
"What's that?" she asked, pointing to a bag hanging from his saddle horn.
"Thought we might get hungry."
"You think of everything, don't you?"
He winked, and they started out.
"Where exactly are we headed?" Kathryn asked, as they cantered alongside each other. "I don't think we've ever ridden in this direction."
"Nope, we haven't. But it's high time we did. I have somethin' special to show ya."
"Really? What?"
"You'll just have to wait and see."
"Oh, how mysterious!"
They'd only ridden for about 20 minutes when they came to a small hill, and Jess slowed his horse to a walk. She reined hers beside him. "Up there." He pointed. They walked the horses up the grade, and as they neared the top Jess said, "Hand me your lead and close your eyes. I want'a surprise ya."
She did as he requested, trusting him completely as he lead her horse to the top of the hill. She enjoyed the anticipation, wondering what lay ahead that he wanted so badly to surprise her with. Finally, she felt him pull the horse up.
"Keep your eyes closed now. I'm gonna help ya down." He dismounted and went to her horse to help her off. As she stood beside him, he put his arm around her waist. "Okay, take a look."
Kathryn opened her eyes and gasped at what lay before her. She looked out over a beautiful large valley with a huge field of wildflowers to the right, a woods just beyond them, a stream on the far left, various types of trees throughout the valley, hills rising farther out, with a range of mountains in the distance. A tiny cabin sat at the edge of the woods.
"Oh, Jess! Of all the places you've shown me on the ranch, this is the most beautiful!"
He watched her as she took in the sight, thrilled that she found the spot as wondrous as he did.
"You really like it?"
"Of course. I love it! Who wouldn't? It's… breathtaking!"
His voice came low and soft. "It's home."
She turned toward him. "What do you mean?"
"I mean it's ours. I asked Slim if I could buy this section of the ranch. I thought we could build a house here." He paused. "Make a home here." He watched for her reaction.
Kathryn's enormous smile conveyed her feelings as she sought words to express them. "It's perfect," she whispered. She threw her arms around his neck, and he held her tight. "Oh, Jess, you do think of everything. We'll be so happy."
He kissed her tenderly. "I'm only buyin' twenty acres, so our part don't stretch all the way to the mountains. But it'll be nice to watch the sun set behind 'em. Let's go walk around a bit," he said, his excitement shining through his words, his smile, his eyes. "We can get some ideas on where we want the house. A barn. Vegetable garden."
"And a flower garden!" Kathryn added.
"Sure. After a while, we can have lunch in that line shack. Slim said it's been there for decades, but ain't really been used for years. I got it all nice and ready for us for an inside picnic." He glanced at the sky. "Good thing too. 'Cause you're right. Expectin' a mite bit a' rain today."
They strolled the grounds hand in hand, talking and planning. Soon, the wind picked up and the temperature began to drop. When it began to drizzle, Jess led the way as they ran toward the cabin. He tethered the horses in the small open-sided lean-to beside the building where they would be sheltered from the weather, grabbed the bag hanging from his saddle horn and opened the shack's door, following Kathryn inside just as the skies opened in a cloudburst and the rain began to pour.
Kathryn glanced around the one-room shack. It was sparse, but had been cleaned. A small fireplace was on one wall, wood stacked alongside it. A cupboard stood on another wall. And that was it. Just the basics. Spread out on the floor in front of the fireplace was a large blanket, and in the middle of it stood a glass jar filled with wildflowers. She smiled.
"Sorry, there ain't no furniture. Slim said there used to be a small table with a couple o' chairs. But they been gone for years, and nobody ever replaced 'em. That's why I thought we'd just sit ourselves down for a picnic there." Jess gestured at the blanket. "The floor's mighty hard, but I got two quilts spread out under that blanket, so I hope it's not too uncomfortable."
Kathryn sat down. "Quite cushy, actually."
Jess joined her, noticing her shiver. He handed her the bag. "You can set out the food while I git a fire goin'. Seems that weather movin' in from the north brought a chill along with the rain."
A flash of lightning was followed by a loud clap of thunder. "I was expectin' a quick rain shower, not a storm. But looks like that's what we got. Could be stuck here for a while."
"Hmmm. That sounds just fine to me," Kathryn cooed.
Stacking wood in the fireplace, Jess glanced back over his shoulder at her and grinned.
He soon had a nice fire going, and the room grew pleasantly warm. They enjoyed the meal of sandwiches, potato salad, lemonade, and cherry tarts Daisy had kindly made, and talked about their land, their wedding, and their daughter.
Kathryn lifted the jar and smelled the flowers. "These are nice. So thoughtful of you."
"I'm gonna bring Elizabeth out here tomorrow so she can pick some."
After they finished eating, Kathryn gathered things up to clear the blanket that had served as their table. "Jess, we haven't really pinned down the exact date yet."
"Tomorrow's fine with me."
Kathryn laughed. "I was thinking more like three weeks from tomorrow. How does that sound? So we have time to finalize the preparations and issue just a few invitations.
"If that's what you want, that's the way it'll be."
He moved closer to take her in his arms. As they kissed, their passion grew. He trailed kisses down her neck as his hand gently caressed her shoulder and then moved lower.
Suddenly, he forced himself to pull back. He let out a long breath. "Sorry, Kate. I been tryin' mighty hard to stay a gentleman. I know ya expect me to be patient."
"I don't recall saying anything at all like that," she cooed, as she leaned in and kissed him again, first on his lips and then along his jaw and down the side of his neck.
Jess groaned. "Dadgum, three weeks is a long time," he whispered. He glanced toward the window. "I think I'd best take a walk in that cold rain."
"Huh uh. You're staying right here." She drew back so he could see her face and gazed intensely at him as she smoothed her hand across his chest.
Jess's heartbeat quickened beneath her palm, as he stared into her eyes. Swallowing hard, he worked to rein in his desire. "Lady, ya sure don't make waitin' till we're married any easier for me."
She smiled beguilingly at him. "Don't you think you'd be more comfortable if you'd take this gunbelt off?" She tugged the end of the rig's belt free from the buckle.
He quickly released the leather tie around his leg, finished unbuckling the gunbelt, and pulled it off. As he turned slightly away to reach back and place it beside the fireplace, he felt her unbuttoning his shirt.
He shoved the gunbelt aside, along with his self-restraint. She was making it quite clear that neither was needed. He took her in his arms, kissing her with a combination of tenderness and eagerness.
The storm created a symphony of distant rumbles and cast flashes of luminance through the window. In concert with nature's wonders, the longings of two people desperately in love found full expression.
The storm passed and the wind calmed to a gentle breeze. Kathryn sat on the blanket, a serene smile on her lips. She watched him, stretched out beside her, peacefully sleeping. What a perfect man, she thought. Just shy of six feet tall, he was solid muscle, pure strength. Every feature was so handsome. His lips. His nose. His strong jawline. His thick, wavy, dark hair. The ridiculously long eyelashes. Those amazing blue eyes. Even though she couldn't see them now, she pictured them in her mind. He was beautiful.
She almost giggled, imagining how he'd scowl if he heard that word ascribed to him. But it was true.
He was beautiful in his soul too. Gentle. Generous. Kind. Thoughtful. Hardworking. So very brave.
And he was hers. At last. She shook her head; she still couldn't believe it. After years of yearning, she had just spent the past two hours in his arms, as he perfectly fulfilled every dream she'd held about what it would be like to be with him again. It had been incredible.
She lovingly brushed a wayward curl off his forehead. He fascinated her. He always had.
His personality. His playfulness. His intelligence. His looks.
His scars.
Sympathy shone in her eyes as she viewed some of them. Oh, the look of them didn't bother her. In fact, just the opposite. They made him even more attractive. Evidence of battles he'd heroically fought. Proof of his courage and strength. Trophies for the insurmountable obstacles he'd valiantly overcome. But they were also testimonies to a very, very hard life. A life that had been filled with danger.
How savage was this life he'd been living, first on the drift and then in the wilds of Wyoming? How much should one man have to go through? She felt tears forming in her eyes.
Watching his muscular chest rise and fall, she realized his breathing had changed; it wasn't as deep as before. She raised her gaze to his face and found he was now awake. He lay still, those brilliant dark blue eyes watching her watch him.
"What are ya thinkin', darlin'?" he asked quietly, reaching to caress her arm.
"I'm thinking I'm the luckiest woman in the world."
He sat up and ran a finger along her cheek. "I was just thinkin' I'm the luckiest man in the world. So I guess we're a good match."
She sighed, feeling perfectly contented, and pressed her lips to his.
He smiled. "Ya know what else I'm thinkin'?"
"What, sweetheart?"
"I'm thinkin' if we don't get back to the house soon, Slim's gonna send a posse out here to drag me back to work."
Kathryn nodded. "And Elizabeth will surely be wondering where we are. I know we need to go back, but I hate to see this time end."
"I promise ya we'll have plenty more just like it." He kissed her tenderly. "Come on. Let's get goin'."
Their usual routine proceeded day by day, with Jess picking Kathryn and Elizabeth up at Mrs. Kelly's in the morning and usually returning them there in the evening after supper. Once in a while, they stayed the night at the ranch. Mrs. Kelly understood that she shouldn't be concerned if there were days when they didn't return, as occasionally they would be, as Kathryn explained, spending time with friends, and if the weather turned, they'd stay overnight rather than travel in rain or high winds.
Jess began rising in the morning even before Slim did, in order to get an early start on chores, freeing him to takes a longer lunchtime, so nearly every afternoon he and Kathryn could ride to the valley. There in the cabin, they planned for their future. Away from the bustling ranch house and all its occupants, they enjoyed the privacy that all couples need to simply talk and build their relationship. But another benefit of their lunch dates was the opportunity to savor being together in the cabin as they had the first day there.