But when they were settled in and the top blanket was pulled up over their shoulders, Trey's body radiated heat like an open fire. Lacey felt that no harm would ever come to her as long that magnificent body was near. Not even with Papa had she felt so protected, so safe. Suddenly, she was silently praying that Trey wouldn't send her away.
Lacey lay quietly on her back, watching Jiggers's silhouette as he moved about camp. The fire died down, then winked out, and the old cook unrolled his blankets under the wagon. The only sound then breaking the silence was the low hum of night insects.
Was Trey asleep? Lacey listened to his even breathing. If he was, she didn't know whether to feel relieved or insulted. Until recently, he had been relentless in pursuing her, cajoling or demanding that she do her wifely duty. But since she'd moved into the ranch house, it appeared he had lost all romantic interest in her.
Trey was not asleep, Lacey discovered when he turned over on his side facing her and whispered, "Are you asleep, Lacey?"
"No," she whispered back, her pulses beginning to race.
"Are you afraid, sleeping outside?" He tentatively moved his arm to lie lightly across her waist.
"No," Lacey managed to answer in a normal voice. "I just have to get used to it." She laughed lightly. "I miss my pillow."
"Why don't you lay your head on my shoulder?" Trey's arm tightened slightly, pulling her closer. As Lacey raised her head and shoulders and moved to do as he suggested, he slipped his other arm behind her, drawing her onto her side.
Lacey could feel Trey's heart pounding against hers and felt the heat of his body increase as his hand stroked up and down her back. She grew still when his hand wandered over to her waist, then inched up her ribcage. When his palm fitted itself over her breast, she made a motion to remove it, then stopped as his fingers gently kneaded it, making the nipple swell and grow hard.
A soft sigh of relief feathered through Trey's lips when he felt her body relax and fit itself into his. He gathered her close and lowered his head to capture the red lips lifted to his. After he had pulled her soft underlip between his teeth and suckled it for several seconds, he began to trail his mouth down the white column of her throat. A soft, low moan escaped her as his lips settled over her breast.
Trey started out being gentle in his lovemaking, kissing and stroking her body, becoming reacquainted with it. But his long-suppressed desire for her soon burst loose. He became like a man possessed, raining kisses over her body as though he couldn't get enough of her. And sometime during his wild seeking, Lacey began to respond with an abandonment that made his blood sing.
When she sobbed his name and tossed her head about, he parted her thighs and climbed between them. "Oh, Lord, you feel so good," he whispered huskily when she took his pulsating length and guided it inside her.
Sliding his hands beneath her bottom, he held her steady to take his powerful thrusts. She eagerly rose to meet every slide of his swollen member. His mouth captured her passionate cry when together they reached a heart-stopping release.
The sky was turning gray in the east when the lovers had exhausted themselves.
But even as they slept, Trey held Lacey close, not really finished with her. He would only rest a while, he told himself.
Chapter Twenty-six.
Trey and Lacey awakened to the sound of the cowhands bantering to each other as they washed up for breakfast.
Lacey still lay clasped tightly in Trey's arms, and as he leaned over and bent his head to kiss her long and hard, she felt his need for her rise and press against her thighs.
When he thrust his hard erection against her, she whispered nervously, "We can't do anything now, Trey. It's broad daylight and the men will see us."
He pulled the blanket up over their heads. "Now they can't see us," he whispered huskily, and lifted her leg so it lay across his hip.
"But they'll know what we're doing," Lacey whispered in protest as Trey took his member and slid it inside her.
"They can only see my back, which will not be moving. They won't be able to see you as you do all the work," Trey whispered back. "Come on, honey, move on me."
As Lacey began to buck against Trey, sliding her tight sheath up and down his long, thick manhood, she found an extra pleasure in realizing that she was in charge for a change. She had the power to decide when Trey would receive his release.
Twice she brought him to the peak of soaring away to the clouds, only to pause a moment before thrusting at him again.
Finally, he'd had enough and growled, "If you don't stop that teasing, I'm going to flip you over on your back and ride the hell out of you, and I don't give a damn who sees me."
"I'm sorry." Lacey chuckled softly. "I'm only paying you back for doing the same thing to me last night."
"Well, we're even now." Trey slid his hands down to cup her rear and pull her tighter into him. "Now, you little witch, let's finish this."
The cowhands were almost done with breakfast when Lacey and Trey joined them. Lacey wished them gone when she saw the amused looks the men tried to hide. Damn Trey, she thought, a dark red washing over her face. He had lied to her. The men had known darn well what they were doing. When she looked at Trey accusingly, he only grinned and winked at her.
When the hands saddled up and rode out in different directions to search out the wild cattle, Lacey and Trey lingered at the chuckwagon, sipping a second cup of coffee. Lacey hoped that now Trey would say the words she so longed to hear. She knew he loved her body- there was no question of that after last night and this morning.
But that wasn't enough. She wanted him to love her as a person as well.
The word so important to Lacey wasn't spoken. Instead Trey said, with a twinkle in his eyes, as he prepared to join his men, "I'll be riding up to the house for lunch. Maybe you can think up something good for dessert . . . in the bedroom."
For a split second, Lacey wanted to declare angrily that there would be no dessert for him in bed. That desire soon left her. She knew that to refuse him, she would hurt herself as well. If he should suggest they crawl under the wagon and make love right now, she knew that she would follow him.
So she said with a matching twinkle in her green gaze, "I'll ponder on it."
With a quick, hard kiss, Trey walked to the little mustang waiting for him and swung into the saddle. With a wave of his hand, he galloped away to the branding fire the men had started.
"It's about time you two started gettin' along together," Jiggers said as Lacey prepared to return to the ranch house. "Life is gonna be much easier around here now. Trey's been a very devil to be around ever since he come home from the cattle drive last fall."
Lacey gave the old man a startled look, and as she rode off she mused on his words. He had more or less said that it was her fault that Trey had been so hard to be around. Had she misjudged her husband all this time? Had he been true to her, as he claimed?
When she rode up to the barn and turned Red over to one of the stable hands, she was thinking with excitement about the dessert she would serve her husband for lunch . . . in bed.
A pattern was set from that day to the last day of the branding. Not only did Trey ride in for his lunch and "dessert," he rode home at night to share his wife's bed. They made love late into the night, and usually by the time Trey arrived at camp, the cowhands were already branding calves.
When Jiggers remarked one morning, "You're gettin' thin, son. You'd better stop some of that night work."
Trey only grinned and said, "I'd give up my right arm before I'd do that."
One day Lacey decided to brave the scorching heat and ride into Marengo to buy some thread. Trey had a pile of shirts that had needed mending for a long time. It appeared that when he tore a hole in one, he went out and bought another.
When she walked into the store, Nellie Doolittle greeted her with a wide smile. "I've got a letter here for you." She reached under the counter and brought up an envelope. "The return address says it's from San Francisco."
As Lacey carefully tore open the white square, she knew it was from Ethan.
Her eyes scanned the masculine scrawl on the paper.
"Dear Lacey, I hope this letter finds you well and that you and Trey have stopped squabbling and are together at last. I also hope that the two of you are as happy as Sally Jo and I are.
"Prepare yourself for the next sentence. Sally Jo and I are expecting. You can imagine our surprise. We had never wanted children, thinking that they would never fit into the way we lived.
"But now that it has happened, we can't wait for the little scutter to get here. I have already told Sally Jo that if we have a little girl, we are going to name her Lacey. Sal agrees.
"We have our saloon as we had planned, with living quarters above. It is small but quite classy. There are no soiled doves in it.
"Please write to me and let me know how things are with you. You have my address if ever you need me. Fondly, Ethan."
A soft smile curving her lips, Lacey folded the letter back into the envelope and lifted her gaze to Nellie, who waited expectantly. "It's from Ethan Reed," she explained, then went on to say that he and his wife had their saloon and were expecting their first child.
Nellie only said, "Now ain't that nice." She sensed that Lacey didn't want to discuss it further. After all, Trey and that woman had carried on for two years.
As Lacey rode homeward, her thoughts were on Ethan and his letter. He seemed content and she was happy for him. He loved his wife and was wise enough to put the past behind him and build a new life.
"Why can't you do the same?" her inner voice asked. "Maybe your husband doesn't speak the words you want to hear, but could you ask for better treatment than he gives you? You could be much worse off."
Lacey knew that was right. If Trey hadn't come along when he did, only God knew where she would be today. Count your blessings, girl, she thought, riding up to the ranch and dismounting.
The morning of the last day of the branding, Trey and his father got into such a heated argument that Lacey escaped to the bedroom. She was afraid that this time they would come to blows.
It was their same old argument. Her father-in-law wanted to bring a young Indian girl into the house as a housekeeper.
"Don't give me that bull, old man," Trey had sneered when the subject was brought up. "Lacey keeps this house as neat as a pin and she cooks us some damn fine meals. You just want to move a woman in here so you can vent your lust and meanness." He had ended with, "I'll not have Lacey insulted the way you insulted my mother all her married life."
The argument had gone on and on, Trey accusing, Bull denying. At last Trey's father had slammed out of the house, muttering dire threats.
Trey didn't seem to pay any attention to his father's angry words, but Lacey, who had come and stood in the doorway, had seen the look of pure hatred Bull shot at his son before stamping out of the house.
Trey dropped a kiss on top of her head, and she followed him to the door. As he prepared to mount the little stock horse waiting for him, she said earnestly, "Please be careful today, Trey. I know he's your father, but I don't trust Bull not to harm you if he gets the chance."
"Don't worry about me, honey." Trey swung into the saddle. "I learned a long time ago to keep watch when that old bastard is around."
Lacey watched him ride away, a heavy uneasiness gripping her chest. It was with some relief that she saw Annie riding toward the house. Mrs. Stump's cheerful chatter and neighborhood gossip would take her mind off Trey and stop her worrying about him for a while.
"Good morning, Annie." She smiled at her plump neighbor as the woman heaved herself off her mule. "I hope you came only for a visit. My cow has gone completely dry."
"I knew it was time for that," Annie puffed as she climbed the porch steps. "Have Trey bring her over to my bull. It's that time of the year."
"Trey said he was going to do that," Lacey said, leading the way into the kitchen, "but he's been busy from first light to dark with the branding. Thank goodness today will see the last of it for a while."
"The men had the irons in the fire when I rode by," Annie said, taking a seat at the table. "I was surprised to see Ruby Dalton there. She and Bull were off by themselves, their heads together, talking about something." She laughed and added, "They were probably makin' plans where to meet later on."
When Lacey had poured her a cup of coffee, Annie asked, "Is it true that Trey has barred Ruby from the house?"
Lacey nodded. "It's true. She can come no closer than the barn."
"I bet that riled old Bull." Annie grinned. "You know about the gossip that goes on about him and Ruby, don't you?"
"Yes, Trey told me. He says that it's not gossip, that it's the plain truth. From what he says, it's been going on for years."
"Bull Saunders is an evil man, Lacey. He's capable of anything. It wouldn't bother him one whit to kill Trey if the notion hit him. You see, nothing has gone his way since Trey's mother died. The old devil hadn't expected that she would leave her half of the spread to her son. It was a big shock to him and an added insult when that son put a stop to his bringing women into the house when he married you."
Annie took a swallow of her coffee. Looking earnestly at Lacey, she said, "You can't caution Trey enough to watch his back trail."
"I know." Lacey nodded solemly. "But I can't understand why the man hates his son so. You'd think he'd be proud of him. Trey works like a dog on the ranch."
Annie shook her head. "That has baffled everybody. It just don't make a lick of sense."
She changed the subject then and began to discuss her family. "We started putting in our garden patch yesterday. My Glory, who is only ten, has taken over the household chores, and Franklin, who's fourteen, is doing his father's work. That Tollie"- Annie shook her head-"is the laziest man that ever drew breath."
Lacey hid a smile. Everyone knew how lazy good-natured Tollie Stump was. His father had left him a fine ranch when he died, but out of mismanagement and laziness, the son had soon lost everything except for a small tract of land. Annie had taken over then and turned the few acres into a thriving farm. Tollie spent most of his time hunting and fishing.
But the love the Stumps shared for each other was deep and strong. Even when Annie spoke of Tollie's laziness, it was said with affection. Lacey hoped that someday she and Trey would know that kind of love.
As Annie chattered on, a queer, cold chill came over Lacey. She felt driven to ride out to the branding camp, to keep an eye on Trey.
She could barely hide her relief when Annie finally said that it was time she got home. "I told Tollie to start plowing the potato patch, but if I'm not there to keep an eye on him, he'll take off up the mountain and stay there all day."
After Annie rode away, Lacey flew about the house, making up her and Trey's bed, straightening the parlor, and washing the dishes. Then she hurried into the bedroom and changed from her dress into the men's garb she now wore only for riding.
At the barn she waited impatiently for the sorrell to be saddled. She was gripped with the conviction that she must get to Trey, that something bad was going to happen to him. When Red was led out, she swung onto his back, and with a nudge of her heels the big animal moved out, breaking into a hard gallop at Lacey's command.
As she rode into the branding camp, everything looked the same as the other time she had visited it. The dust was still ankle-deep, choking the men and coating their sweating faces. The horses were affected as well, their eyes red-rimmed from the dust, and when they were momentarily pulled to a halt, they shook their heads and blew thin streams of dust from their nostrils.
Lacey gave a smile of relief when she saw Trey riding toward her out of a shimmering haze of heat.
His eyes said that he was happy to see her. "I didn't know you were riding out today," he said, his eyes twinkling mischievously. "I don't think I can spare the time right now to take a trip to the cottonwood grove."
"Really?" Lacey pretended to be disappointed, making Trey laugh.
"You just can't stay away from your man, huh?" he teased.
"I'm worried about you, Trey," Lacey said soberly. "I had this terrible feeling that something was going to happen to you."
"So you've come out here in the heat to protect me," Trey teased.
"I'm serious, Trey. I feel it in my bones that you shouldn't be here today. Why don't you take the day off?"
"Now, honey, you know I can't do that. We need every hand in order to finish up the job today. Why don't you ride back home? I'll be just fine."
The bawling and bellowing of longhorns took Trey's attention from Lacey. The cowboys were trying to keep them bunched and moving away from the wilds where they had been all winter. He touched spurs to the little quarterhorse he rode today and raced the half mile to help the men.
Undecided what to do, Lacey wavered between what instinct told her and Trey's assurance that he would be all right. She saw that the men had managed to turn the steers toward camp, and she was about to turn Red's head homeward when she paused in the action of lifting the reins.
She had seen a movement in the cottonwood grove. As she squinted her eyes, peering, the sun glinted off a shiny object. She saw a puff of smoke, followed closely by the sharp report of a rifle.
She let out a little dispiaring cry as the wild cattle immediately spooked and, as one, swerved around, heading back toward the men driving them.
"Oh, dear Lord," she gasped, a sick feeling of terror gripping her. Trey was right in their path.
Horrified, Lacey could only sit and watch, biting her lip until it bled. The frenzied cattle were almost upon Trey and the outriders when they drew their guns and started shooting in the air, yelling at the top of their lungs and popping their ropes.
Almost at the last minute, it seemed, the long-horns swerved and stampeded toward the grove- straight toward where the shot had been fired.
Standing up in the saddle and staring intently ahead, Lacey saw two figures scrambling toward a couple of horses tied to a tree. From this distance, they looked like a man and a woman. Ruby and Bull! They had deliberately turned the stampeding cattle against Trey.
As she watched, her heart pounding, the pair reached the horses and grabbed at the reins. Frightened from all the noise, the horses reared up, tore loose, and raced away. Bull and Ruby were left just yards away from the thundering herd. She caught a glimpse of Bull's big body being tossed in the air and heard Ruby's shrill scream. Lacey kicked Red with her heels and sent him racing to catch up with Trey and the men following the herd.