The room was dark with only a sliver of light coming from the moon, and he made his way over to the bed, fully expecting her to be sound asleep, all tucked in.
But she wasn't.
His eyes roved over to the chair where he'd found her sleeping the night before, but it was empty as well.
An arrow of fear at her absence was the first emotion he felt, but he quickly realized that nothing could have happened to her while she'd been in the house. Then anger hit him down deep as he wondered what game she was playing. But that didn't sit right either as he puzzled over her disappearance.
And then a seductive thought hit him straight in the groin and he left the room and strode down the hall to his bedroom. He stood in front of the closed door for a moment in time, pure pleasure curling in his stomach at what he hoped to find.
He opened the door, and in the darkness, he could barely make out a small mound in the center of his bed. Satisfaction, hard and fast, swept through him and he quickly stripped off his clothes and boots and made his way over to where she lay asleep in the center of his big bed.
He crawled under the covers, and his first thought was to take her hard and fast, the way he'd been dreaming of doing since he'd first met her. But as soon as he felt the warmth of her slight body in slumber, his intentions changed even if his desire for her did not. He wrapped his arms around her female form, heard her mumble his name in her sleep, and a deep contentment filled him.
His hand ran softly up and down her arm and landed on the small hand that rested on her belly. He picked it up, and the warmth from the gold band sent a sharp, insidious pleasure streaking through his system.
He breathed in her scent, thought about all the nights he'd be able to hold her naked body in his arms, all the card games they would share, and all the sunsets they'd watch together from the porch, and fell into the most contented sleep he could ever remember having.
It was already full daylight when Emma woke up in Luke's bed. She raised herself onto one elbow, and saw the deep indention in the pillow beside hers that told her she hadn't been dreaming when he'd come to bed and held her in his arms.
Her mouth turned up into a soft smile that changed into a huge, happy grin when she found the daisy he'd left for her, now smashed against the bedclothes, but still very much appreciated. She lifted the bedraggled flower to her nose and inhaled the soft scent of summer.
It was a new day, a happy day, and she bounded out of bed, quickly ran through her ablutions, and went into the kitchen to start her first full day as Mrs. Luke Butler.
The next few weeks passed in a blur for Emma. Luke seemed more than willing to meet her half way in this new marriage of theirs. On the days he could spare time from his work around the ranch, he took her riding as promised, and as she was a quick learner, he was more than pleased at the result of his tutorage.
More than once, they ended up at the stream down in the small valley, where he'd let the horses graze on their tethers and then slowly seduce her into lying down with him in the soft green grass. Maria had exclaimed at the stains on her dress and asked her if she'd taken a tumble, and Emma had blushed and knew her red cheeks had given away their game.
The nights of the first month of their marriage had passed with romantic evenings on the swing watching the sunset together, raunchy games of poker where he'd taught her what he meant by wagering their clothes, and every night had been spent naked in his bed where she fell asleep after another bout of his slow, thorough lovemaking.
All and all, it was a satisfactory start to a new marriage, and Emma was more than pleased at the depth of her happiness. She was dismayed that she'd fallen into the belief that she would never marry, and now she was hoping that soon, they would be blessed with a family. She desperately wanted Luke's children, she wanted to hold them in her arms and suckle them to her breast and nurture them into adulthood.
She began asking Maria hesitant questions, and the other woman had bluntly asked her if she was with child.
Emma had confessed that she knew nothing about it, and didn't know how she would be able to tell. Maria had been very no-nonsense about it and told her the most telling sign would be the cessation of her monthly. She also explained about morning sickness and sore breasts. She told her that she may crave certain foods, while just the thought of others would make her green around the gills.
Emma listened and absorbed everything the other woman told her, but she hadn't had any of the signs as of yet. She was hopeful that soon though, she would.
Chapter Thirteen
A few more weeks passed and it was a day like any other.
Emma had gone to the barns and stables so many times with Luke that she began visiting the mare Luke had given her every day with a special treat. She usually took an apple or a carrot or two and admired the horse she had named Beauty. It was a simple name, and she sometimes thought the animal deserved to be called something more unique, but the fact was, she was a beauty, and that's what Emma began calling her while she tried to think of a proper name.
So one day she'd given up, and the pretty, dappled mare was christened "Beauty."
Emma leaned over the stall and ran her hand lovingly down the mare's flank. She crooned to the animal as she let her mind wander.
There was absolutely no question about it. She was in love with her husband. She'd never told him so, but the words had almost slipped out more than once in the darkened privacy of night when he was deep inside of her and holding her with an inflexible strength that made her think he'd never willingly let her go.
Surely he loved her too?
Emma wasn't one to play games in a matter such as this, she was open and honest and the reserve she still felt wasn't about the way he was with her in the stillness of their bedroom at night. At those times, his implacable strength as he held her and the way he seemed to worship her body reassured her that his feelings for her must run deep.
But then daylight would come, and although he was still courteous to her and seemed to watch her even more closely, a mask would come over his face and bleed over into his emotions. He would freeze up and remained closed off until slowly, with the sinking of the sun, he would soften and relax and assuage her troubled heartache once again.
It was a routine that became typical for them and she didn't think he even realized what he was doing. Or if he did, he probably didn't think she noticed. She tried to keep her demeanor constant, she tried not to let his confusing, contradictory attitude affect her own manner with him. She wanted only harmony in their marriage, and whatever he was feeling during the light of day wasn't something she wanted to allow to bring discord to their union .
But she couldn't bring herself to ask him why his manner changed during the day time hours. The love she felt for him was too new, too recent to feel the security she needed to question him about it.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the squeak of a hinge and she turned her head to see Luke at the entrance, standing still for a moment while he allowed his eyes to adjust to the much dimmer light in the interior of the building.
It wasn't much of a reprieve to steady her nerves, but it was enough time to allow her the thought that she shouldn't have to steel herself against him like this. What he made her feel unsettled her, and although she knew exactly how he reacted in the dark of the night, during the day, his actions could never be taken for granted.
He strode over and was in front of her within seconds. His eyes made a cursory look around, studying her for a few seconds and then running his gaze quickly over the horses, and then moved to the ground around her feet, until they touched on all four walls and then focused on her once again.
"What are you doing out here?" Once again, his words held no appreciable warmth, they were short and succinct, asking her a question that he expected an answer to.
"Bringing a treat to Beauty," she injected softness into her tone and tried to pretend she was answering the same man that held her in his arms every night and not the stranger he was at this moment. She desperately wanted the same person during the daylight hours, the same person whose passion and ardor seemed to speak of a strong devotion to her. She knew he had the ranch to run; he couldn't give her all of his time, she understood that and that's not what she expected. She just didn't want his continuous act of courteous stranger whenever they weren't in bed together.
"I don't like you to come out here by yourself, I've told you that before."
"You didn't say I couldn't come," she replied in the most level tone she could manage because she didn't care if he had given her that edict or not, she wouldn't be held prisoner in her own home. But she waited to see how this would play out, because there was absolutely no use riling him if it wasn't absolutely necessary. She would rebel against him if it came to that, but watching him now, seeing the aggressiveness in every line of his body, she was forced to acknowledge that it would be easier for her to find a different way.
Certainly she didn't stand a physical chance against him, and the interaction between them now was only underlining what kind of man she was up against. A man who was going to get his way no matter what. A man who would brook no opposition to his wishes. This wasn't something new to her, it was information she already had when she married him. But now she could see that it was up to her to establish how their marriage would be. She could verbally fight against him, try to impose her way in a series of confrontations that she knew she would not only lose, but that would throw up a wall between them. A wall that would divide them, a wall that would be almost impossible to knock down in the future.