“I don’t think that I will,” she replied, although a part of her regretted it already. She didn’t like the idea of him alone at the ranch with Maria. She didn’t think she could handle seeing them together, much less teaching their children. The thought made her stomach hurt.
“I wish you hadn’t told him that,” she said. “I get a vote in this relationship too, you know.”
“Since when do women get to vote?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Maybe that’s the problem,” she snapped back, his tone riling her. “You men think you should get to make all the decisions, and that’s just not fair.”
“I haven’t gotten ahead by playing fair,” he said, his gaze intense. He leaned forward, whispering in her ear. “You’d better get ready, Cat. I’m going to do whatever it takes.”
The warmth of his breath gave her a shiver, awareness running down her body, her ni**les tensing with desire for him. Dammit, why did he always have to do that?
“I think I’ve had quite enough of your company already,” she snapped, turning and marching away from him. His laugh followed her, and she found herself wondering why he always ended up sounding like the winner in their little encounters.
Just once, she’d like to be the one laughing while he retreated.
* * * * *
The music started at sunset, and Catherine had plenty of men vying for her hand. Of course, every woman did, but she still felt special in her bright blue dress. More than one man complimented her on her earbobs, but the sight of Wade squiring Maria around canceled out most of the pleasure. The pretty girl’s face had flushed bright with excitement, and as the cowboys grew more boisterous the competition for her company grew.
Catherine drank cup after cup of sweet apple cider and by eleven that night she decided that it must have been spiked with harder cider. They weren’t supposed to do that, of course, but after the youngest children had been sent to bed it was hard to keep the ranch hands under control. The men would keep carousing all night, although the ladies would retire in a few hours. It helped save embarrassment the next morning.
She kept expecting Wade to come and ask her to dance, but he didn’t. He seemed far too busy with Maria. Every time she looked up they were together, and it was enough to make her forget caution when she went to the cider bowl. By the time she’d had her fourth glass of the sticky drink, her head was spinning. She tripped over someone’s foot, and suddenly Wade was there, taking her arm and helping her out the door into the cool night air. Before she knew what he was doing, he’d started walking her toward their campsite.
“I don’t want to go to the tent yet,” she told him, tugging at him to get free. “I’m having fun dancing.”
“You’re having too much fun,” he said, pulling her along as if she weighed nothing. “That cider smelled downright lethal. You don’t need any more.”
“But we didn’t get to dance yet!” she cried, finally managing to tug free of him. Catherine overbalanced and fell down, laughing up at him in the moonlight. He stood, hands on his hips, looking down at her and shaking his head.
“You just don’t know when to stop, do you, Cat?” he said, reaching down to pull her to her feet. She rose unsteadily, lurching forward into his chest.
“Are you going to dance with me?” she demanded, licking her lips. “I danced with half the men here, but none of them are as much fun as you, Wade. Let’s dance together.”
He shook his head again, but took her into his arms and started swaying with the music drifting faintly across the pasture. They weren’t the only couple seeking a little privacy outside, but nobody around them was close enough for Catherine to identify, so she figured she and Wade were safe enough from prying eyes. She let herself relax into his arms, enjoying the play of his muscles beneath her fingers, her head resting against his chest. Being with him just felt so right. Then she thought about how rarely she’d see him once she moved to town. Not a fun thought at all, so she pushed it away, focusing on how he smelled instead.
She loved Wade’s smell. Just a touch of sweat, a little smoke and a hint of whiskey. No cider for him, she thought, giggling. And while he might have danced with Maria all evening, he’d left her behind quickly enough when he’d thought Catherine needed him.
“I don’t think Maria is the right woman for you,” she murmured. “You should stay away from her.”
“Jealous?” he asked, a laugh rumbling through his chest. “Trust me, Catherine, the only woman I’m interested in right now is you.”
He stopped swaying, pulling away from her and cupping her face, kissing her deeply. Dear heavens, the man could kiss. Catherine drank him in, letting all the wonderful feelings run through her body like water bubbling up from a spring. Every nip of his lips, every time his tongue grazed her it felt like a new part of her body caught on fire. And she knew just how it could end too, if she let it. She thought about the way he’d touched her by the stream, the way he’d looked as he watched her bathe, and she could hardly breathe. She’d never wanted anything in her life half as bad as she wanted Wade Masters right at that moment.
He wanted her too. She could tell by the way he stiffened as she started to slide her hands down his body, the way he groaned into her mouth as her fingers grazed the hard length trying to push its way out of his pants. Oh, he definitely wanted her too.
“Let’s go back to the tent,” she whispered, pulling her mouth away from his.
He stilled and took a deep breath, as if battling with himself. Then the battle ended, and he crushed her body against his possessively.
“The tent isn’t safe, Maria will be back soon,” he whispered. “José said they’d be leaving right after us. Come to my bedroll. I’ve set it up away from everyone else, under the wagon.”
She knew that probably wasn’t a good idea, but then his hands ran down her back, cupping her ass and pulling her up against his erection. All she wanted was to feel more of him, so she nodded her head.
He took her by the hand, pulling her across the pasture, dodging the scattered campsites almost playfully. She giggled, and he whispered at her to be quiet. She bit back her laughter. It was hard, though, she felt like a child skipping school. So naughty and delicious, absolutely the wrong thing to do, but she’d never wanted anything more in her life. And for once, he wasn’t blathering on about marrying her. Finally they reached the campsite, which was dark and lonely. José and Maria were nowhere to be seen, and neither was anyone else. Laughing, they crawled under the wagon together, where Catherine had the sudden realization that she was wearing far too many clothes.