Page 6 of That Fateful Ride

R ebecca drew Polaris to a halt and scanned the horizon. The vibe in the air crackled with danger. It had been weeks since Cy had discovered she was a woman. She, honestly, was amazed he’d kept his word on letting her continue to ride. Winter had arrived.

He confused her. There were times when it was just the two of them—his gaze burned hotter when he looked at her. And for her part, well she was having a harder and harder time not staring at him. There was no denying her attraction.

Before her last ride, she had come upon him working on a horse. Shoeing him. Mama never said anything about men who looked like him. Unlike so many of the riders picked for their slighter build, Cyrus Spencer was anything but. He’d been attractive before but seeing him without his shirt…she’d not been expecting her own reaction.

Sweat gathered only to roll down his well-defined muscles. He’d worn a pair of old Army pants, which had molded to large powerful thighs, emphasizing his trim waist. He carried no extra flesh on him. The sun had converted his skin to a rich golden tan. Mesmerized she’d stood there staring and watching the easy ripple of his muscles as he worked. Right up until he’d lifted his head and pinned her with those hazel eyes.

Her insides had felt all funny and damned if she’d not wanted to touch and explore his hard body. Follow that trail of hair that disappeared beneath the top of his pants. So focused on the need coursing through her, she lost track of time until he called her by her assumed name, Robert. However, as usual it was his eyes, which made her question everything her mama warned her about men.

Her mount snorted before sidestepping and snared her attention back to her current situation versus her enjoyable trip down memory lane. Today, she’d ridden to Demon Canyon and headed to the saloon for a private bath. It had been so luxurious. A chair shoved under the door handle and no windows afforded her the pleasure. Despite no sweet-smelling soap, she felt so much better. It had taken a lot for her not to turn her head from the scantily clad women she met on her way in and out. It had become a bit of a thing for her.

Polaris snorted again and pawed the hard packed ground. She glanced around before nudging her mount forward. All senses were alert as she rode. In the distance, black clouds rolled giving off an ominous vibe. A big storm was coming and from the swirling of the clouds a twister could possibly make an appearance.

Bottom line, she needed to keep moving back to the station. But that wasn’t it. There was something else. And it set her on edge. When the first cry pierced the air her breath hitched, when others echoed the sound, panic rushed upon her. Indians.

They were coming from the left and riding hard. Their whoops and hollers had her leaning forward over Polaris’ dun colored neck, wrapping gloved fingers in his mane.

“Let’s go boy. They can’t catch you.” As the words slipped free, she prayed it was true.

The Indians were coming fast as well as at an angle in attempt and cut her off. The distance closed as they ran on. Polaris cleared the brush, logs, and small ravines with the ease and confidence she’d come to expect from him.

He could go faster but she wasn’t sure if more lay in wait ahead. A sting tore across her arm and she said some words that would have gotten her mama to take a switch to her. To hell with this. She shot under her arm at them before making herself as small a target as possible.

“Go Polaris, run!”

Bless his heart her sweat-covered horse did just that. He flew, stretched out, and finally the cries, known to strike fear in those who heard them, fell beneath the endless pounding of hooves.

Eventually she slowed him to a walk. Sides heaving and head hanging, he plodded along. Nervous, she continued to watch the clouds that had replaced the Indians in gaining on her.

“May have to run again,” she muttered, casting a glance down to the bags on her saddle. They held her things but she wanted him to carry the least amount possible. She had close to another hour before reaching the station.

The first fat drop of icy rain fell and she knew there was no way to outrun the fury coming for her. She saw the wall of rain approaching and had but one thought—get out of it as fast as she could.

“I know you’re tired, boy, but you need to run again.” Polaris responded and they took off. The rain, however, bore down on them along with fierce wind. It tore around them, sending dirt into her skin with painful accuracy.

She nearly swore in relief when she came upon an abandoned barn. The homestead sat burnt to rubble but this remained. She swung off Polaris and struggled with the door. After guiding her reluctant horse in, she again fought to get it shut. She didn’t want to turn him loose and prayed it was only rain coming. The interior was almost pitch black; the few missing boards didn’t offer much light given how dark it was outside. Nevertheless, they were out of the worst of it.

A sudden flash of lightning had her swallowing a scream and reaching for her guns. Jumpy. She was just jumpy. Blowing out a breath, she touched Polaris’ side trying to calm down. Her arm throbbed from the slice of the arrow yet she ignored it. To dark to do anything now, plus the rain had washed it out.

Polaris whickered and she tensed again, cursing when an answering horse sounded. There was someone in here with her!

A hand snaked around her midsection while a second one covered her mouth, silencing her scream. Give up? Without a fight? No way, that wasn’t how she had been raised. She struggled and went for her closest weapon. Just as her fingers curled about the handle, a familiar deep voice murmured in her ear.

“Calm down you crazy woman. It’s me, Cy. I’m not going to hurt you.”

Cy. Now she trembled for entirely different reasons. His large hard body pressed against hers. His heat offered her warmth.

“I don’t know who’s out there, so stay quiet, okay?”

If she didn’t respond would he continue to hold her so close and tight?

“Answer me, Rebecca.”

He called her by her name, oh dear Lord. It didn’t matter it wasn’t the first time, her body reacted as if it was. And he’d done a great job of doing it when they were alone cooking together.

She removed a sodden glove, wanting to touch his skin and tapped the hand covering her mouth. He didn’t immediately release her. His fingers flexed against her flat stomach and he pressed tighter to her back.

Goodness, she felt hot. Her skin flushed and her heart pounded like a heard of stampeding cattle. One odor she could only identify as man had replaced the musty scent she’d first smelled upon entering . Cy smelled of horses, leather, the outdoors, and even rain. As well as a masculine scent. She wanted to roll in it. Soak in it. He smelled divine. A man’s man.

She tapped again and he removed his hand. Still didn’t stop the tensing she did when callused fingertips dragged teasingly along her lips. Her breaths came sharp and shallow.

“Keep your voice down.”

She couldn’t speak immediately. Her mouth was as dry as the ground around her had been before the rain. The through process of her brain was addled and slower than normal. Obviously, he meant he wanted an answer now.

His large hands were remarkably gentle as he spun her to face him. Although it was hard to make out his features, she still tilted her head back as if she could clearly see him.

“What are you doing here?” she asked.

“I came looking for you.” He huffed. “This is why you shouldn’t be here. You’re a distraction.”

She drew back a bit at the venom in his voice. His fingers tightened on the flesh of her upper arms, returning her to the close proximity he’d had her at before. She bit back a moan of pain when he squeezed her injury. “No one knows I’m a woman except you. So how is it my fault you’re distracted? I never asked you to come looking for me. Nor did I expect it.”

“Because,” he growled, his warm breath spreading over her skin. “I know what you’re hiding behind those damn clothes.”

She’d imagined him wanting her for a while now but this was almost too much, to be face to face with that reality. “Still not my fault.”

He knocked her hat off before tearing the bandana off as well. When his lips covered hers, all sense went out the window. He had firm lips, which moved tantalizingly over hers. He swallowed her gasp of shock as she gripped his large arms for stability, her legs didn’t want to support her anymore.

His tongue trailed along the seam of her lips before sliding into her mouth. He tasted so good. A moan bubbled up as he began to explore.

She’d not enjoyed her previous kisses. They had been rough, sloppy, and not at all anything she cared to repeat. However, this one, this one, astounded her. He didn’t force and Cy didn’t seem to be in any huge rush. He took his time. He delved, stroked, and dipped through her mouth.

The longer the kiss went on, the closer and tighter he held her. His hands left her upper arms to settle upon her lower back and the curve of her butt. Her hands relocated to his chest, fingers flexing upon the hard plane.

He was nothing but muscle. She could feel the strong staccato of his heart beating beneath her right palm.

“Rebecca,” he mumbled against her mouth.

Hunger surged up through her, scaring her with its intensity. Reckless and out of control, that was how she felt. And she loved it.

She didn’t answer. At least not verbally. She reconnected their mouths and slid her arms up around his neck. To hell with what she should do. Right here and right now it was about want. Moreover, she wanted this. Him. All of it.

“Baby, you’re killing me here.” He blazed a path from her mouth down her throat to the base. “All I’ve thought about is you.”

She warmed at his words and the pulse in her core grew heavier. More insistent. He swept up and carried her to a pile of hay. When she realized there was a blanket on it, she relaxed back, welcoming the heavy, hard and warm weight of Cy on her.

His hand moved deftly under her shirt, the callused palm warm and rough against her skin. She trembled and gasped at the sensations flooding her. Closing her eyes, she arched her body into his investigative touch. Not sure what she asked for but trusting her body with his hands and touch.

“I wish it were lighter out so I could see you better.” His voice poured over her like the aged whiskey her father had shared with her once. Warm with a hint of bite. Made her feel amazing and slightly light-headed.

“Please.”

“Patience,” he muttered, despite the way his hands tugged at her clothes in frantic motions.

She discarded her shirt and helped where she could in removing her binding. His large hands ripped the last bit away and she moaned as he palmed a breast. Pleasure and pain—from the rush of returning blood—exploded throughout her as he rolled the nipple in his fingers and tugged lightly on it.

“Oh…I…”

Words wouldn’t come, but they didn’t need to, he understood, tossed their clothing to the side, and laid her back again. This time when his large body covered hers, they were skin to skin. She ran her hands up powerful arms, encouraging him closer until they were chest to chest.

His thickness pressed against her and she instinctively widened her legs more. Cy peppered light kisses all around her mouth as the fingers from one hand drifted through the curls between her legs before dipping inside her.

Her hips bucked and she cried out in pleasure. One finger played with her clit as his touch continued to inflame her until she writhed beneath him, incoherently asking for something she’d never received from another. Something she’d never wanted…until Cy. But this man, she wanted it all.

His rumble of pleasure could be felt as his light kisses changed into something more. Much deeper. Incredibly intense. His tongue dueled with her own embedding his taste further into her as he removed his fingers and replaced them with the broad head of his shaft. She dug her short nails into his back, expectant. Desperate for what was to come.

He nipped her lower lip then lapped the sting away as he surged forward with his hips, sinking into her fully. A bolt of pain pierced her and she stiffened with a gasp.

Cy froze; she could feel him tremble above her. “You were…shit, why didn’t you say anything?”

She tightened her grip on him. “Don’t stop.”

His breath blew across her face and he began to move. She moaned as the pain morphed into pleasure. Oh Lord, no one said it was like this.

Back and forth, he moved and she followed. Sensations new and powerful exploded through her. She felt so full. Breaking the kiss, she buried her face into his shoulder. He smelled of man and sweat.

In and out he stroked, catapulting her closer and closer to the pinnacle she sought. The air filled with a canopy of sounds. The rain, wind, thunder, horses shifting, and the sound of their bodies moving together as one.

“So tight,” he rumbled in her ear. His thrusts came faster and deeper.

She couldn’t hold back anymore. Muscles clenched, she bowed her back, crying out as she shattered. Cy powered twice more before he erupted, coating her womb with his seed.

Out of breath, she lay there; small tremors shook her as she floated down from the cloud of ecstasy he’d taken her to. He lowered more of his weight down and she smiled tiredly at the quickness of his own heartbeat. It was a wondrous feeling being pressed beneath him. He moved off and she felt chilled; however, only momentarily though, for he immediately gathered her and tucked her close.

She didn’t know what to do. He ran a hand up and down her arm. The wind rattled the building and she tensed. Her cut arm throbbed from the hay, which poked her through the blanket, much more noticeable now that she wasn’t in the throes of passion.

“Are you okay? I didn’t hurt you, did I?” His deep voice was low and soothing.

“No.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Would it have made a difference?” She rested her hand upon his chest.

Cy took a deep breath. He could still smell the lingering culmination of their scents. He hadn’t planned on this happening. Hell, he’d avoided her for this very reason.

She was a virgin. He closed his eyes and continued to stroke up and down her arm.

Ever since he’d discovered she was a woman he’d been having dreams of her. Beneath him, crying his name in pleasure. So today when he saw the storm approaching he’d ridden out to find her. He knew she’d gone to town but honestly, he’d expected her back before then.

She worked hard. Cooked some meals, as promised, in exchange for his silence. Still didn’t stop his concern for her every ride she took and every night she bunked down with other men. He hated it.

Liked the idea even less now. The woman in his arms deserved to be protected and safe. You slept with a rider, his brain reminded him.

Rebecca shifted against him and he remembered she had asked a question.

“Yes.”

“How so?” There was honest curiosity in her voice.

“I would have taken more time to prepare you. Been gentler.”

“So you’ve done it before?”

“Yes.” She stiffened. “Wait, done what before?”

“Slept with a virgin.”

She felt so right against him. He brushed his lips along her forehead. “Never.”

“So it’s over and not an issue.” A shiver wracked her and he curled her closer.

He caught his frown before it formed. Why was her distance bothering him? He sought out relief on occasion and never once did he stay after and do what he was now. Cuddling.

“Can’t go anywhere in the storm anyway,” he muttered.

“I’m sorry?”

“Just thinking out loud.”

“How long is enough time before we can dress?”

Her straightforward question made him smile. “Trying to get away from me already?”

“No. I am however, a bit cold.”

His shaft stiffened at the image of a different—much more enjoyable—way of warming her up. Closing his eyes, he inhaled the clean scent of her. He didn’t want to dress, he wanted to start over and take his time in pleasuring her.

It had been a while for him and he’d been like an animal. To top it off she’d been a virgin. He wanted, needed, to show her it was—could be—like with an attentive lover.

She didn’t complain.

No, she hadn’t but she also didn’t have any one for a comparison.

Next time will be better.

That thought gave him pause. Next time? She rolled away and he struggled not to bring her back close. He shoved back into his wet clothes and lifted the blanket, shaking it off.

“Rebecca?”

“Yes?”

He moved in the direction of her voice. It had grown even darker as the intensity outside increased. He wanted her close.

“You dressed?”

“Yes.”

He smiled at the softness to her voice. So unlike when she spoke at the station where it was deeper. More graveled.

“Come here.”

She listened and he took her back to the blanket he’d laid down again. He gathered her close and wrapped his arms around her. Her hair was covered and he wanted to remove it.

“Tell me about you.”

“Me?” Her voice rose a bit, becoming almost a squeak.

He smiled in the dark. “It’s just the two of us here, so yes, you. ”

“I have my twin, Robert, who rides—”

He covered her mouth with his hand, silencing her. “I know that much. Tell me about you, Rebecca.”

Her nod removed his hand. He understood and respected privacy but damn it, he wanted to know more about her other than what he did. Hell, even as Robert, he knew very little about her.

“We live in Copper Junction.”

He knew where that was located. There was an Army post a day’s ride from there. Many Blacks lived in Copper Junction. That stopped him for a moment before he shook it off. He didn’t care about the color of her skin. Only how it felt beneath his fingertips.

“Your mother let you do this?”

“Mama knew without Robert’s income life would be even harder. We couldn’t take in enough wash to make up the difference.” Her words were straightforward and blunt, unashamed. Her fortitude amazed him like how she just accepted what was her lot in life.

“And your father?”

She moved with her shrug. “Not sure.” Cy knew it was difficult especially without a father. He went to offer his apologies when she continued. “Last we heard he was on his way toward Boston.”

“What’s he doing there?”

“He works for a major in the Army.”

A jolt struck him in the heart. Something he could never be again. A solider. Gulping back his own pain, he held her tighter. “Good for him. Do you see him often?”

A heavy sigh. “We haven’t seen him in over a year.” She shifted nearer and laid her head on his chest while her fingers moved idly over the damp fabric of his shirt. “What about you?”

“I was in the Army.” She tensed slightly but said nothing. “I got injured and while I can walk and ride shorter distances, I can’t withstand the rigors of Army life. Not anymore.”

“You miss it.”

Not many knew that. “How can you tell?”

She laughed gently. “You still act like you’re in the Army. Strict regimen.”

He supposed it was true enough. “It’s how I grew up. My old man was in the Army as well.”

“Was?”

“He died three years ago.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. He was a mean bastard. When he died, my ma said she was leaving this godless frontier and returning home.”

“And where was home?”

“Charleston, South Carolina.” She grew so still he tightened his hold on her. “You okay?”

“Sure.” She lied and he knew it for her voice was anything but fine.

The horses whickered and she bolted up. They strained to hear anything beyond the storm. She moved away and he struggled to see her. It was no use. Therefore, he went by sound. His leg ached a bit but it had been so worth it.

He caught her by her horse and slid an arm around her waist. “Come lay with me.” The feeling of her in his arms was one he had gotten addicted to very quickly.

He lowered his head and placed light kisses along her neck. She quivered and he continued his tender assault. When she sank into him with a slight whimper, he lifted her and carried her back to the blanket. She was like fire in his arms, burning him. He wanted so much more.

Their mouths melded as he lowered her down, her arms twined around his neck as mewls poured from her throat. Once more , he told himself.

The rain had stopped when he woke. Rubbing his eyes, he sat up. With the storm passed, he could see more and he scowled. He was alone. Rebecca and Polaris were gone.

He got up and finished dressing a second time before he gathered his things. Leading his horse to the door, he opened it and peered out. He could see the storm moving off to the west. It would be nightfall soon. He swung up on his gelding and headed back to the station.

When he rode in, he immediately saw the dun out in the corral and breathed a bit easier. It didn’t last long for when he went around toward the front of the barn, he saw her with another rider, Hank, leaning close to her, his face near her breasts.

“Good to see you back, boss. Have fun in town?” Pete asked with raucous laughter.

“What’s going on?” He swung down.

Pete scratched himself and puffed his smoke. “Hank’s sewing up Robert’s arm. Injuns chased him. And you have a message that came in with the last rider.”

Shit. He’d missed a transfer being out there with her. The more important issue is why didn’t she say anything about her injury?

He looked at her; she met his gaze as she always did. Emotionless. “Come talk to me when you’re done here, Robert.”

Pete walked near and sat down as she gave him a nod. Cy bit back his curse then went to unsaddle his horse and carry his supplies inside. As it grew darker, he began supper, his dispatch in his pocket. While it simmered, he sat in a chair and read it by lantern.