“Take Mrs. Hart’s horse, Gage. Brush her down and turn her out in the small corral.”
“Will do.” He reached for the reins to hold the mare so Elise could dismount.
“Wait.” Bowie nudged Burlap next to Sugar and reached for his wife, plucking her from the saddle and seating her sideways in front of him. She responded as he hoped she would, giving a small shriek and putting her arms around him.
“What are you doing?”
He grinned as the smell of jasmine drifted toward him, and she nestled against him. “You said you wanted to go fast. Hold on.” He wheeled Burlap and legged him into a canter. Bowie held Elise firmly about the waist, anchoring her safely, moving in rhythm with Burlap’s stride, pleased when she caught the cadence, too.
Her laughter filled the evening air, and instead of clutching him in fear, she twisted to face forward in his embrace, holding her arms wide as if trying to catch the wind. Her hair slipped from its pins and blew against his chest and face, tangling with his own as they raced across the Texas prairie into the setting sun.
She trusted him completely not to let her fall. Dead humbling. He couldn’t keep himself from smiling, almost laughing at her joy.
At last Bowie turned his horse in a wide circle, heading back toward the barn. When they reached the corral, he pulled to a stop, dropping from the saddle and reaching up for her.
When he would’ve set her down, she clung to him, wrapping her arms around his neck, her feet dangling off the ground, her body tight against his. “Thank you.” She stared into his eye. “I’ve never felt so wonderful as racing across our land with you.”
She’d never looked so wonderful either. Her hair tumbled down her back in a riot of chocolatey curls, and the wind had colored her cheeks. This close he could see the golden flecks in her brown eyes. For a moment, he forgot that theirs was a marriage on paper, that he was scarred, that she was too good for him. He slowly lowered her to the ground, but instead of stepping away, he kissed her.
His fingers tunneled in her hair, and his lips sought hers. Her eyes fluttered closed, and she cupped his face in her hands. She tasted of wind and sunshine, and she smelled of jasmine. He couldn’t seem to gather her close enough. As he slanted his head to deepen the kiss, her fingers caught in the strap of his eye patch, dislodging it.
With a start, he remembered where he was—who he was—what he was, and he broke the kiss, all but shoving her away, making sure the patch covered his eye socket properly. Gulping, he tried to ignore the shocked look on her face.
“I’ll put the horses away. You go on to the house.” He grabbed Burlap’s reins and stalked to the barn, calling himself all kinds of a fool. He’d taken advantage of her generous nature, and all because of some ridiculous notion that he was a whole man.
Chapter Six
I don’t know what you’re so worried about. It’s your family, and it is high time you had them over to your home. Thanksgiving dinner seemed to be the perfect time.”
Bowie stepped back as Elise brushed past him, checking the place settings at the new dining room table. For the past two weeks, she’d pretended that nothing had happened, that he hadn’t overstepped his bounds by more than a country mile, and he’d been walking on eggshells ever since. Why didn’t she scold him and get it over with? Why hadn’t she slapped his face when he took such liberties? It wasn’t as if he could claim he was acting out a part in front of his family. There hadn’t been another Hart for miles.
“I’m not worried. I just don’t know why we have to have them all at once.” He placed his rifle in the gun cabinet in the corner of the room.
Elise paused, her eyebrows raised, her face the picture of innocence. “I did it for you. I thought you’d rather have it all done in one evening instead of stringing out the invitations to the couples over a whole month.” She returned to straightening silver and crystal. “I put a clean shirt on your bed.”
He took her hint and tromped up the stairs, grouchy as a spring bear. The fact that she was right irked him. He would rather get all the entertaining done at once, though he wished he didn’t have to do it at all. It was time spent with his happily-married brothers and their wives that reminded him the most about what was lacking in his own life.