Jodi Thomas - The Lone Texan

Swearing, he finished before he'd pleased her. She didn't seem to understand or mind.

He rolled to his side and whispered, "It'll be better next time”

"It was perfect," she whispered. "Very nice.”

"No. It wasn't perfect, but it will be” He had to ask, "Are you sorry?"

"No” she answered, "and if it gets much better, I'll die from the joy of it." She cuddled beside him and fell asleep. He covered them both with the thick blanket and slept for the first time in weeks. Sage was with him.

At dawn, he came awake all at once as a shadow passed between him and the first beams of sunlight.

Drum pulled the blanket over her as he reached for his gun.

"No need for that gun." Daniel's familiar voice cracked the silence. "I best be getting my Bible out, though.” He rifled through his saddlebag. "I swear I'm using the book more lately than the bottle. Something must be in the air."

"What do you think you're doing?" Drum smoothed her hair off Sage's face as he tucked the blanket tightly about her shoulders.

"I don't want to be around when her brothers find out what you have been doing up here. I figure the only way to save your life is to marry you two right and proper.”

"We're already married.” Drum insisted as Sage continued to sleep.

"Sure you are.” Daniel said as if he didn't believe a word. He read a few lines, then said. "Do you take…"

“I do” Drum humored his friend.

"And do you, Doctor…"

"She does," Drum answered for her. "She already has." He shook her shoulder gently. "Wake up, wife. We've got unwanted company for breakfast.”

Sage opened sleepy eyes and stared up at Daniel just as he said, "Then, I pronounce you man and wife."

She opened her mouth to object.

Daniel added, "If I were you two, I'd get dressed. I rode in with your brother Travis, and as soon as he says hello to the chief, he'll be looking for you”

Daniel swung back up on his horse. "I think I'd be wise to vanish until the gunfire settles. Travis being an old Ranger won't take to talking before he starts shooting.”

Sage pulled the blanket over her head. "I think I'll lie right here and sleep.”

"Oh, no, you don't” Drum stood, picking up his trousers. "You might sleep, but if they find you like this, I'm the one who'll die. Get dressed, wife”

She picked up her clothes and tried to put them on beneath the blanket. "Don't talk to me. I'm still not speaking to you, and don't call me wife.”

"That's fine with me. How about we only communicate in moans after midnight? As long as you're here all warm and willing at night, I'll become mute all day.”

She tried to wiggle into her skirt. "Don't talk about it.”

He grabbed his shirt. "Fine. While we're not talking, why don't you explain to me how it could be possible that you're a virgin?"

"Was a virgin.” she corrected. "And I don't have to explain anything to you”

"But-"

"Oh, figure it out, Drummond.”

He stopped dressing and watched her trying to button up her clothes without seeing them. "First"-he smiled-"why are you hiding while you dress? There isn't a freckle on you I haven't seen, touched, and probably kissed.”

She saw his logic and tossed the blanket as she pulled her camisole over perfect breasts brushed by the sun.

"What's the second thing?" she asked as she laced up the silk with a ribbon.

Drum had forgotten. He was too busy staring. Finally when he was able to form words, he said, "Maybe we should both get back under the blanket.”

She glanced up at him then and smiled, almost knocking the air from his lungs. "Not a chance.” she said. "You told me to get dressed”

She was torturing him again, he thought, but about now he'd gladly die on the rack.

"Second," he managed to say, "your first husband must have been dead when you married him not to have touched you” The memories of their first kisses came back. "He didn't even kiss you, did he?"

Sage held her head high. "He was very involved in his work, and toward the end, he was very ill." She turned away, offering him a quick view of her backside as she slipped into her skirt.

Drum thought of saying they could be tossing dirt in his grave, and he'd still have touched her, but suddenly it hit him. He was her first. There was no first husband whom she'd slept with. He was her first. Just as she was his. That's why she hadn't said anything about their lovemaking not being right. She didn't know that there was more.

He frowned. That's also why he didn't do it right the first time. If he'd practiced, he would have been able to please her more, but practicing on another woman never seemed right.

He didn't see her tears until she turned around. He wondered if she was thinking of him or if she was sorry she'd given him such a precious gift. He knew she wanted him to say something to her. She probably wanted to hear the words of love that she'd said to him back at the ranch. But he couldn't say them. They rang too hollow in his mind. Couldn't she understand that he wanted her, needed her, every day of his life? Wasn't that enough?

"Are you sorry?" he had to ask one more time.

She looked up at him with unshed tears sparkling in her beautiful eyes. "No," she said. "I'll never be sorry.” She hesitated, then added, "Thank you for waiting until I came to you, Drum. By doing so you told me a great deal about the measure of you as a man.”

He was about to ask more when he heard a horse thundering toward them. "In-laws," he whispered, making her laugh.

SAGE STEPPED INTO HER BOOTS JUST BEFORE HER brother Travis rode into their small campsite by the water.

He lowered himself slowly as he always did, nursing an old injury. The big man was dressed today like he had when he'd been a Ranger, in buckskin. He walked right past her and offered his hand to Drum.

"Roak." Travis said in his voice that could outshout an entire courtroom. "Grandfather tells me you are married to my sister."

Drum took his hand. "I'm probably the most married man you'll ever meet.”

Travis laughed. "See that you remember that”

Drum shook his head. "Don't start threatening me. Travis.”

"I don't have to. I know my sister. I'm guessing she'd make herself a widow again before she'd put up with her man running around on her."

"I'm right here.” Sage commented, but neither of them looked her direction.

"I'm sorry I took so long to come in from Austin, but Will hired me to do some legal work."

"Will?" Sage and Drum said at once.

Travis pointed at the coffeepot, and everyone knew the talking wouldn't start again until he had a cup in his hand. She filled the pot with water and coffee, while Drum built up the fire. While the water boiled, she braided her hair and looked very proper by the time Drum passed her a cup.

Travis took a drink and began. "Will's father told him to always keep the family Bible with him, no matter what, and if trouble came to give it to a judge worth trusting. I guess he figured I was close enough, so he put it in my care. Since then, I've been piecing together facts and guesses, and this is what I've come up with."

Sage held her breath. She knew she'd still be in danger, but maybe Travis had found a way to make the boys safe so they wouldn't worry about raiders returning to murder them.

Travis leaned in close. "The boys' father has a bit of royal blood in him. Seems he was sixth in line to the throne of some small European country. When he was about five, his father died under questionable circumstances. His mother watched her oldest boy take the throne and die within the year. Her next son took over, but she had three other sons who were still children. She sent them to live in Virginia for safety. Everything was fine for years. The second boy king married and had children, so everyone forgot about the royals growing up in Virginia as they moved farther and farther away from being in line for the throne.”

"This sounds like some kind of fairy tale," Sage said.

"It gets better' Travis added, "or worse. The three boys must have grown up as Americans and probably had no reason to want to go back to an aging country in turmoil. That was fine with everyone until the king, their older brother, died in a fire.”

"Here's where I start guessing. It seems one of the three American brothers was killed soon after his brother died in the fire. Another, the oldest of the three, left for parts unknown more than ten years ago. He's thought to be dead. The third, and youngest, was Will and Andy's father. He must have feared being killed, or he wouldn't have kept moving west.”

"How can you know this?" Sage asked.

"Will's father kept a record along with the family tree of births and deaths. He also kept correspondence with a few family friends who helped him from time to time. One apparently bought the ranch for them. Too bad he didn't pick a safer place.”

"A letter their father started but hadn't finished was tucked into the fold. In it he worries for the dead king's children and for his own. He said he felt there was a traitor among the American friends he trusted.”

Sage looked up and saw Will standing quietly just behind Travis. "Will.” she whispered.

He stepped forward like a little soldier. "I'm not going back to my father's country. Never. My father never wanted to have anything to do with them, and neither do I."

Travis put his arm around the boy. "You don't have to," he said. "I don't know who those men were at the bridge last week trying to take you, but I went all the way to the governor. I've applied to have Drummond here named your and Andy's legal guardian, if you have no objection.^-

Will fought back tears. "That would be all right with me and Andy."

"When you're an adult," Drum said, "if you want, I'll go with you back to where your father is from."

"No. I'll never ask. Andy and me belong here” He leaned his arm on Drum's shoulder. "Mr. Roak will protect us."

"You bet he will.” Travis smiled. "Now you're married, you might as well have a family.”

Drum smiled at Will. "Go get your brother. If we're going to be a family, we might as well start by having breakfast together."

As soon as the boy was far enough away that he couldn't hear them, Drum turned on Travis. "I'm not so sure I like you planning my life for me.”

"Would you turn them away?"

"No," Drum admitted, "but my wife only likes me a few hours a night. What makes you think we'd be a good home for them?"

Travis stood and tossed the coffee. "You're a good man, Roak, and you know what it's like not to have anyone in the world to turn to. They'll be grown and out of the house before Sage and you have enough kids to fill the dinner table.”

He stared at the cup. "And by the way, you sure didn't marry my sister for her cooking skills. That's the worst coffee I've had in years."

Sage had heard enough. She turned to Travis. "I agree with Drum. Stop planning our life for us. What if the carriages and the hired guns come back?"

"They won't. They stayed around town looking for you for a few days, then headed south. I've got two men following them. My trackers sent two messages, saying they're still heading toward the coast.”

"But they might return, and Drum can't promise he'll always be near," Sage said, thinking of what his next assignment might be. "He's a Ranger. You remember what that was like. You were away two years once."

Travis gave up. "All right. You win. I'll take them back to Austin with me.”

"No," Drum said. "They are safer here. If they're my responsibility. I'll make the plans. For the time being, we'll keep them with us at Whispering Mountain, but not in Teagen's house. I'd be more comfortable in the barn. Anytime they leave the ranch, Daniel or I will be riding guard.”

"You can have our place. Rainey's ready to get home to Austin, and I've got work piling up” He thought about it a minute and added, "Come spring, you and Sage might want to build your own place. I checked on that investment you made with that drunken sailor.”

Sage felt lost again. "What investment? You loaned money to a drunk?"

Drum shrugged. "It seemed like a good idea at the time. I had money in the bank I wasn't using, so I signed papers so he could draw on it as needed” Before Sage could question, he asked Travis, "Is there enough money in my account to buy a house in town?"

Travis smiled. "There's enough to buy half the town.” Sage sat down on the blankets and gave up. Too much information, too fast.

Travis kept talking. "Mind my asking why you loaned a man you met in a saloon your savings?"