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Zeke offered a nod then tucked the paper under his arm. “We’ll return soon.” Zeke slipped the key into his pocket then escorted Bernadette toward the newspaper building.

As it turned out, the wait to be with Bernadette was worth it.

Zeke couldn’t think of a time in his life when he’d been happier.

Despite not getting much sleep that night, he woke up early.

It was fitting, really, that he should wake up just as the sun was rising for the day.

There was nothing better than a sunrise.

Unless, of course, that something happened to be Bernadette.

And nothing was better than being with Bernadette when she was lying in bed next to him.

He spent a half hour just watching her as the sun climbed in the sky, casting an array of yellows, oranges, and pinks over her face.

He would never get over how pretty she was.

The fact that her blonde hair was unruly from their night of passion was even better.

She was so prim and proper during the day, which was, no doubt, a product of her upbringing.

But she hadn’t held back when they were alone in bed.

If he didn’t have their marriage certificate in the pocket of his coat, he wouldn’t believe this was really happening.

Bernadette stirred. Finally, she was waking up.

He shifted so that he was closer to her, and unable to resist the urge to touch her, he brushed her cheek with his fingers. Despite the slight sunburn on her face, her skin was still soft.

She opened her eyes. When her gaze met his, she smiled. “Is it already morning?”

“It’s just past dawn. We have plenty of time.

We don’t have to get out of bed yet. We’ll be in Quartzsite long before it gets dark.

I’m sure we’ll find the others in time to catch Lee and Wilson.

” He slipped his arm around her waist. “I won’t let them get anywhere near you, Lucas, or Gail.

I figure you three will be safe in a hotel room waiting for the rest of us. ”

Her eyebrows furrowed. “I know you’ll go with Blaze to track them down, but is it wise to go with Faye?”

“I don’t think I can talk Blaze into going without her.”

“He has to listen to you. We don’t even know if Faye is really Wilson’s sister.”

“No, but Blaze believes she is.”

“Tell him about the woman who goes around claiming to be his sister. That has to give him some doubt.”

“I am going to tell him about her,” Zeke assured her. “I just don’t know if he’ll take my word over hers.”

As much as he didn’t like to think it, he didn’t know if he could stop Faye if she was determined to get in the way.

He recalled how quick she’d been to prove she could get the upper hand when she put a knife to his throat.

She hadn’t given him any indication that she’d been about to leap at him.

Then she’d been so matter-of-fact about the sordid behavior Lee and Wilson engaged in.

None of it had bothered her. She had to be the most unfeminine woman he’d ever come across.

“The most I can do is watch her,” Zeke concluded. “If she gives me a reason to believe she’s going to help Lee and Wilson, I’ll do whatever’s necessary to stop her.”

Bernadette’s eyes grew wide. “Even if it means shooting her?”

“When I took an oath to protect the good people of Arizona, I promised to do that regardless of whether the criminal was a man or a woman. But my intention is not to shoot anyone. I prefer rounding up people to go before a judge instead.”

“You don’t always run off to pursue bandits, do you?”

“No. Most of my time is spent in Flagstaff taking care of local disputes that are often petty.”

“Like what?”

He thought over the last few things that had made his uncle mumble something about how fickle people could be then said, “Well, there was a time when a wife wanted us to arrest her husband for saying that her chili wasn’t worth eating.”

“You can’t arrest someone for something like that, can you?”

He laughed. “Of course not, but she spent a half hour yelling that we should put her husband behind bars. To be fair, the husband did give her food to the dog.”

Her eyes grew wide. “I didn’t grow up learning how to cook. I hope you’ll be gentler with me than that husband was with his wife.”

“Oh, I could never do that to you. If anything, I would help you. And if I can’t cook something, I’m sure my ma will help.”

“Will we live with your ma?”

“Since my ma says that every woman wants a place of her own to run as she sees fit, no, we won’t.

But we’ll live near her. I just know she’s going to like you.

” He gave her waist an affectionate squeeze.

“You remind me of her. Sweet and kind, but also willing to say what’s on your mind so there’s no guessing.

If there’s anything I don’t like, it’s trying to guess what someone wants.

I’d rather they just come out and say it, even if it’s something I won’t like. ”

“I suppose I was rather rough with you when we first met,” she said, her voice soft.

“I didn’t mind that because I knew what you thought. That’s how I know you really love me.” He smiled. “It was nice to hear you say, ‘I do,’ when the preacher asked if you’d be my wife.”

Her lips curled up into a grin. “Was the fact that I was in bed with you last night also nice?”

“Yes, it was. I enjoyed that a lot.”

“I enjoyed it, too.”

Taking that as his cue, he gave her a kiss then asked, “Do you want to stay in bed a while longer?”

“You don’t notice me getting out of this bed to get dressed, do you?”

Well, there was no better way of saying she was willing to make love to him again than that, so he decided to take advantage of the moment.

He brought his mouth to hers, and this time he let his lips linger on hers.

She snuggled closer to him. Her fingers brushed the base of his neck in a way that bordered on being ticklish while arousing him at the same time.

Yes, he definitely liked the fact that she didn’t hold back on what she thought and wanted.

He knew he was safe with her. He could trust that what she said to his face was what she would say behind his back.

His ma was going to be pleased with his pick for a wife.

Bernadette was the ideal woman to give his ma the grandchildren she wanted.

And he was looking forward to being a father.

There were so many things he had hoped to pass on to his children someday.

Thanks to Bernadette, that was going to happen.

Bernadette let out a low moan and urged him to roll onto his back.

He obeyed her leading and was delighted when she got on top of him.

Of the positions they had tried last night, this was his favorite since it allowed him the best view of her breasts.

He took a moment to look at them before he cupped them in his hands.

She leaned toward him and brought her mouth to his. They took their time kissing and caressing each other, a fact which made him glad. He would spend the entire day alone with her like this if he were allowed to do so.

He didn’t think he’d ever tire of caressing her breasts or noting how slick she was getting as she rubbed herself intimately against his erection.

This kind of activity only heightened his arousal, and he had learned it was just as fun to linger in this sexual play as it was to be inside her.

In fact, he was beginning to suspect that the longer they spent building up the tension, the more gratifying things were when they were finally able to experience release.

However, even as fun as all the touching and the kissing were, there was that moment when their bodies demanded to be satisfied, and they couldn’t linger on anymore.

He entered her and moaned in pleasure when her flesh wrapped around him.

She proceeded to make love to him in earnest, and he watched while those perfectly formed breasts bounced in the most delightful way.

He tried to hold off on his release until she had hers, but those breasts were his undoing.

He grew taut as he filled her with his seed.

For a few seconds, he couldn’t move. All he could do was feel.

And he had never felt more complete in his entire life.

Once his head cleared, he was able to continue.

Unwilling to leave her unsatisfied, since he had learned how to do that last night, he urged her on to her back and brought his hand between her legs.

He slid a couple of fingers into her then used the technique that ensured her climax.

He just loved that moment when she let out a gasp and then cried out.

Her body clenched and unclenched around him several times before she relaxed.

Even with their foreplay, their time together didn’t seem to last all that long.

It was a shame that things one enjoyed the most seemed to pass much too fast. He reminded himself that he had the rest of his life to enjoy making love to her.

Last night and this morning were just a foretaste of what was to come.

He held her in his arms for a couple more minutes and kissed her until there was no delaying the inevitable any longer.

Perhaps they might have the luxury of spending all day in bed at some point, but that wasn’t going to happen today.

They had to get to Quartzsite. And he had to do whatever he could to help Blaze apprehend Lee and Wilson.

“Thanks for saying yes when I asked you to marry me,” Zeke whispered. “You made me the happiest man in the entire world.”

Bernadette smiled and gave him another kiss. “I’m happy, too, Zeke. It’s wonderful to be loved so well.”

“I do love you. I love you more than I’ve ever loved anyone or anything.”

“I love you, too.”

Feeling as though his heart might burst, Zeke allowed himself a few more kisses before he forced himself to get ready for the day.