Love's Sweet Surrender (27 page)

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Love’s Sweet Surrender

173

She grabbed her things and ushered the children out the door, locking it behind her, while her thoughts went back to Seth. She couldn’t wait to get home and see him again.

* * * *

The wagon rolled into the yard while Seth stood on the porch waiting for his family to come home.
His family
. Now that was a different thought.

When Lily stopped the wagon, he helped her down, and the children scrambled from the back before they ran for the house.

“Everything all right?” The look on her face told him she was clearly upset.

“Yes. I just had another run in with Daniel this afternoon, that’s all.”

He swept over her, checking for himself to make sure she wasn't hurt.

“What did he say? What did he do? Did he hurt you?”

“No, he didn’t hurt me or anything. It was fine, Seth, really."

“I think I need to go into town and have a nice little talk with him myself.” He grabbed the seat to hoist himself aboard the wagon, but Lily’s hand on his arm stopped him.

“Let it go, Seth. It was nothing.”

He turned to look at his wife, and the look in her eyes made him reconsider killing Daniel for her—for now.

“All right. I’ll let it go, but if he doesn’t stop this, I will.” He took her in his arms and held her tight against his chest. He couldn’t lose her, not now, not ever.

When he finally let her go, he told her he’d put the horses away and be in the house in a few minutes for supper. When he led the horses into the barn, the urge to kill Daniel almost overcame his reasoning.
If he does
anything to hurt Lily or the children, I will have to kill him.

Later that night when all the children were in bed and Seth held Lily in his arms, he pulled her tight against him, and she rested her head on his chest. How she had taken complete control of his heart in such a short time, he’d never know, but he refused to fight it anymore. He loved her. If he ever lost her, he would lose his mind. He thought he would go crazy when Victoria died, but it was nothing compared to the terrifying thought of losing Ebook piracy is stealing. It is a federal offense.

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174

Sandy Sullivan

Lily. She had quickly become everything to him, and he would do whatever he had to do to protect her.

The thoughts flittering across his mind scared the hell out of him, and he had the insane urge to feel her warmth wrapped around him once again.

“Again?” she teased as his mouth moved a trail down her neck to her naked breast, and she moaned softly.

“Are you complaining, wife?” His own smile rippled across his mouth when he raised his head to look into her eyes.

“Not on your life, my husband. I love what you do to me.”

His mouth settled back on her breast, and he teased the nipple with his tongue until it stood at attention. She moaned softly in her throat and arched her back to press his mouth harder against her.

He loved to make her body want his. His tongue moved down her belly while he traced circles on her skin.

“Seth, please,” she begged.

His mouth wandered further down until his tongue rasped across her clit. He toggled the sensitive bud several times before he whispered, "Tell me what you want.” His tongue licked her stomach then went back down again.

“Oh God, Seth, please.”

“Tell me what you want,” he said again. He wanted to hear her say the words. He needed to hear her tell him she wanted him.

“Make love to me. I need you.”

He moved over her and slid into her hot core with a heavy groan. “My pleasure, sweet wife.”

They rode the wave of passion to the breaking point as he pushed into her feverishly, until the stars burst behind his eyelids and all strength left his body. When he finally had the energy to roll off, he pulled her tightly to his side and whispered in her hair, “I love you.”

He felt her sleepy smile against his skin before she whispered, “I love you.” He finally drifted off to sleep with a satisfied smile after he heard Lily's soft snores next to him.

The next day he wanted to take Lily riding again. He lay on the bed and watched her shimmy the slim trousers she'd borrowed from Johnny over her hips. When she had pulled them over her long legs, those precious legs Ebook piracy is stealing. It is a federal offense.

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Love’s Sweet Surrender

175

she’d wrapped so shamelessly around him last night, he growled from the bed.

She smiled brazenly, knowing she was driving him crazy.

“You are a witch.”

He rolled from the bed and began to stalk her across the room. She giggled as he slowly advanced on her and put her hands up to stave him off.

He groaned low in his throat, grabbed her by the waist and pushed her down across the bed.

“Now, shall we see if you look as good taking them off as putting them on?” He pulled the pants down over her hips and off her legs.

“We'll never get out of here today to go riding if you start this again, you know,” she said with a smile, but it faded into a moan when he started kissing her thighs and nipping at the soft flesh.

It was another couple of hours before they finally managed to leave their room to go for their ride in the country.

They carried a picnic lunch with them so they could stay out for a while.

He wanted her all to himself today, and he wouldn’t mind if they found a nice grassy knoll to make love on. She had made him almost insatiable in his desire for her over the last few days. He couldn’t seem to get enough of her, and he absolutely loved it.

They chatted about the children, the ranch and several other topics, but completely avoided the subject of Victoria. Several moments later, they crested a small hill before he realized where they were headed. Victoria's headstone cast a shadow over the green grass beneath the tree.

He pulled his horse to a stop and shifted his gaze to Lily before he started to pull the animal in the other direction. He didn’t want to go there with her. Victoria was his past, and Lily was his future, but seeing Victoria’s grave brought back way too many memories, memories he wasn’t quite ready to face yet. He could tell by the look in Lily’s eyes she knew exactly who the grave belonged to, but all he could hope for was that someday Victoria wouldn’t stand between them anymore.

As they skirted the grave, Seth could see storms building in the distance, and the look of the clouds bothered him while they rode. He knew a thunderstorm could build from nothing and pour down enough rain to cause a flash flood.

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176

Sandy Sullivan

“I think we should find shelter for a while.” He eyed the coming rain.

“Otherwise, we will get caught in the storm building over there. There is a line shack not far from here. Let’s head there.”

“All right.”

* * * *

Seth kicked his horse, and they sprinted across the grass at a fast clip, attempting to beat the rain. When it started coming down, they had just made it to the shack and were able to get inside, before getting soaked to the skin.

“We’ll just have to find something to keep us busy for a while.” He flashed a sexy grin and wiggled his eyebrows, and she laughed while he followed her around the table, almost stalking her.

“Um… I’m sure we could think of something. Let’s see, checkers?”

He shook his head, and she giggled and threw out another suggestion:

“Cards?”

Again, he shook his head while the smile on his face grew bigger. He slowly continued to follow her around the table.

“I’m sorry, Seth, but I’ve run out of ideas,” she said while he closed in.

“I have a suggestion.” He scooped her up and laid her back on the table and began to kiss her neck while he slowly unbuttoned her shirt.

“You may have to explain this idea you have to me a little better. I don’t think I understand,” she whispered. He reached the bottom button and pulled it from the waistband of her trousers.

“Let me see if I can give you some idea,” he murmured against her skin before his mouth closed over her nipple and his teeth grazed it. She moaned and arched her back. The rain continued to patter on the tin roof while they slowly made love on the table in the small cabin.

A little later they moved to the bed to snuggle together while they listened to the rain, and she could hear the beating of his heart beneath her cheek. “How long do you think the rain will last?” She traced little circles on his skin.

“Mmm… not long enough, I’m afraid.” He nuzzled her hair and kissed the top of her head.

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Love’s Sweet Surrender

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“It sounds like it’s slowing down a bit. Shall we get up and see if the horses are still nearby?”

She started to move away, but he pulled her back to his side. “No, I think we should just stay here and make love again.”

“You are terrible, Seth Sanford. Have you always been this way?” She giggled and pushed against him.

“Nope. Only since you came along.” He gave her a devilish smile while he tried to pull her back next to him, but she managed to wiggle free and rise from the bed.

“We really need to get moving, Seth,” Lily insisted. “We can’t spend all afternoon in this cabin making love, you know.”

“Why the hell not?” He rolled over and propped himself up on his elbow while he watched her dress.

“The children will be expecting us back for supper.” She inhaled sharply when he rose from the bed, completely comfortable in his male glory.

“That they will, sweetheart, so I’ll give in to you and get dressed, but only after…”

He lunged for her, and she laughed as she dove under the table. He grabbed her ankle and started to pull her toward him, causing the table to bang against the wall. Lily saw a loose brick fall to the floor near her hand.

“Wait!” She could see papers stuffed in the hole where the brick had fallen. “What’s this?” She pulled them from the opening and handing them to Seth.

He took the letters in his hand and turned them over. After a moment he set them down and moved to pull his pants on while she climbed out from under the table.

“I don’t know. They look like letters.”

He returned to the table and picked up the letters again before he untied the faded yellow ribbon holding them together. Lily looked over his shoulder, shocked when he dropped the letters as if they burned his fingers.

His face turned ashen.

“Seth? What is it?” The look on his face frightened her. “Do you know who wrote them? Lily turned them over in her hand. “Look. There is a name on them… it says… Daniel?”

“Yeah, I know who wrote them. That’s Victoria’s handwriting.”

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178

Sandy Sullivan

Lily's voice reached him as if he were in a fog. “But why would there be letters in here, of all places, with her handwriting? That doesn’t make sense.” She moved next to him and took his hand in hers. “Do you want to open them?”

“I don’t know what this means, or why they are here, and no, I don’t want to open them,” he whispered, obviously terrified of what this meant.

I can’t do this. I don’t want to know why my wife was leaving letters in
this shack.
He wanted to go home now and leave the mocking letters on the table.
I can’t look. I won’t look.
He methodically buttoned up the front of his shirt.

“Let’s go home, Lily.” He sat down on the bed and pulled on his boots.

Lily rose from the chair where she sat and silently pulled on her boots.

She picked up the pile of letters on the table, neatly stack them back together and retied the ribbon around them.

“What are you doing?”

“We need to take these with us, Seth.” She tucked them into her shirt pocket.

“No, we don’t. I don’t want to know what’s in them,” he snapped.

“Someday you might.”

He walked over to her, pulled the letters from her pocket and laid them back on the table. “No, I won’t.” He searched her face for a moment before he turned on his heel and walked out to find the horses.

* * * *

Lily stood for a moment looking at the letters, wondering if she should go ahead and bring them anyway. She suspected she knew what was contained there as she started to piece the puzzle together. She also was Ebook piracy is stealing. It is a federal offense.

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Love’s Sweet Surrender

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quite sure Seth wouldn’t want to know. He wasn’t ready to hear his precious Victoria had been having a relationship with Daniel, obviously for many years, if she had interpreted the two boys’ parentage correctly. The day Daniel had stood near the boys flashed through her mind, and she knew he had to be their father. She wasn’t certain how Seth would feel about the boys if he knew. She really didn’t think it would make much difference in his love for them even if they weren’t his by blood. He loved them.

For now she would leave the letters in the cabin. Her relationship with Seth was still very new, and she didn’t want to do anything to harm that.

She followed her husband outside, closing the door softly behind her.

They rode home in silence, lost in their own thoughts. The revelation of the letters in the shack caused an uncomfortable silence between them.

“Seth,” Lily said, breaking the silence while they continued to ride side-by-side.

“Yeah,” he replied, not turning to look at her, but instead keeping his eyes fixed on the scenery in front of him.

“I love you.” She wanted to assure him she would always be there, no matter what they found in those letters.