Here Comes McBride (Journey's End Book 1) Read online

He landed a gentle swat. “You stop that,” he choked. “I don’t want our first time to be on the ground while we run for our lives.” He stepped back and felt the loss of her warmth like an empty ache. “Get our bedrolls out, and stamp down some grass. It’ll be a little softer for sleeping. I’ll unsaddle the horses and get them hobbled for the night. It won’t be too cold, so sleeping without a fire won’t be hard. Means cold food, though.”

  Ellie moved directly to the horses and untied the bedrolls. Lars sighed. He’d have to be strict with her, but he’d spanked her twice today already. He hoped they’d get through the night without a third. Her immediate compliance spread relief like warm honey through his exhausted body.

  “We have biscuits left from this morning and a piece of ham. Let’s take it down to that stream where I watered the horses. The water was fresh and cold. We can have a cool drink and get cleaned up.”

  He held out his hand and relief, cool and calming, swept him when she placed her little one into his. She wasn’t angry or resentful or afraid of him. Those fears had been churning like soured milk since he’d delivered the second spanking and that come-to-Jesus speech.

  “When a man’s hungry, near about anything tastes good,” Lars declared as he swallowed his third biscuit sandwich. He rose to his full height and patted his satisfied stomach. “Let’s get cleaned up. It’s been a mighty long and dusty day.”

  “You go first,” Ellie offered.

  “I don’t plan to take my eyes off of you, Ellie. I don’t want to give anyone a chance to surprise us again.”

  A blush crept up her neck and blossomed over her cheeks. Where did that blush begin? Maybe her breasts were a lovely hue of pink at this very moment. He hoped to get the chance to investigate someday. But that spreading blush told him she was embarrassed. Well, he’d already seen her bottom more than once, but women held firm to notions on modesty. Hell, he’d just as soon stroll through life buck naked, but more than likely Ellie didn’t share that idea.

  “Tell you what. You keep on whatever’s under that dress, and I’ll wear my drawers,” he suggested.

  “Thank you, Lars.” She hesitated again.

  “What is it? Talk to me, Ellie girl. I will always listen, and do what I can.”

  “What will I sleep in?” she queried, her voice a tiny wisp carried to him on a breeze.

  “I have a clean shirt in my bag,” he offered. “Will that do?”

  “What will you sleep in?” she asked.

  “Well, I’ll sleep naked, but I already told you I don’t aim to take you tonight. You can trust me.” He hooked his thumbs through his belt loops and raised a single eyebrow.

  “All right,” she agreed.

  Lars removed his clothes and laid his gun on top of the pile. He entered the stream and sank until the water covered his head. He came up shaking like a wooly dog but went stone-still. Ellie stood on the bank in a thin slip. The setting sun threw its last rays behind her and rendered the garment transparent. The outline of her slim legs led to the shadow at the apex of her thighs. He stared transfixed for several moments before raising his eyes to her breasts. He thought he preferred a large bosom, but he changed his mind in that moment. Her breasts were perfect—small, perky, turned up with a jaunty tilt toward the sky. Even through the fabric he could see her nipples were rosy brown. They were perfect. Perfect for holding, kneading, pinching, sucking. Even though the water was cold, he felt his interest rising. He swallowed hard and kept staring. That woman called to him like a cold beer in July.

  “Come on in, Ellie. I have a bar of soap.” He held the enticing item in his extended hand.

  Inch by inch, she entered the water. “It’s cold,” she said, shivering.

  “Get in quick. I’ll help you.” He pulled her into deeper water and let her body float on top of his extended legs. “See. Not bad once you’re in.”

  “You’re right. It feels good.” The current supported them as they drifted downstream.

  Lars lowered his feet to the sandy bottom. “We don’t want to get too far from the horses and our clothes.” He turned and pulled her upstream. He lathered the soap all over his body and dunked under the water once more. “Here.” He surrendered the soap to Ellie. She followed his example and then floated on the water surrounded by a sea of ruby red hair. She set her feet on the bottom and squeezed the water from her hair.

  “What are the horses’ names?” she asked. “We’ll be spending a lot of time together. I’d like to be on a first name basis.”

  “The big black I’m riding is Tiny. Someone had a sense of humor, I guess. The mare is Missy. Come on, we’d best get dry. It’ll cool off quick.” Lars scooped her into his arms and carried her to the bank. They dried, as best they could, on Lars’ single small towel.

  Back at camp Lars dropped his clean shirt over Ellie’s head. It fell over her hands and past her knees.

  “Let me help.” Lars turned the cuffs up until her small hands appeared. “We should turn in.”

  “I need to brush my hair out first. If I don’t, it will be a mass of knots in the morning.” Ellie removed a large wooden brush from her pack.

  “Let me.” She handed him the brush. He turned it over in his hands a few times.

  This would make for a spanking to remember. He’d only use it if his Ellie girl was especially naughty.

  He set her between his knees and unraveled knots and brushed her flaming hair until it lay in a shining sheet. All the while he spoke low and calm much as he would to a skittish colt. Well, Ellie had much in common with a jumpy little mare. They both wanted reassurance, but they both needed his firm hand and his leadership. Ellie would be happier once she relaxed. It might take a bit of convincing, but he was sure of it. He felt it in his bones and to the soles of his feet. She was a woman who liked to be led, and, Lord have mercy, he was born to be in charge.

  He lifted the blanket spread on stamped grass. “Climb in,” he ordered.

  “Lars, you have these blankets together. I should sleep…”

  “It will be cold later, Ellie. We’ll be better cuddled together.”

  “But,” she began.

  “Don’t argue,” he warned.

  Ellie lay down in such a hurry he coughed to cover a laugh.

  “Can I kiss you goodnight, Ellie girl?” he asked, praying for a yes.

  When she gave a little nod, he sealed his mouth over hers and moved his lips with gentle pressure. He nibbled her bottom lip just a mite. She was inexperienced, and he loved it. He could teach her the joys of love between a man and a woman. He could be her first. He could be her last. He could be her only.

  He swept his tongue over her lips. “Open for me, darlin’.” When her lips parted, he let his tongue invade the damp cave. Her groan urged him forward, and her own tongue joined the dance. Lars ran his hand down her back before settling it under her bottom. He pulled her to him until his hardness pressed against her soft femininity.

  “I’ve never had such a wonderful kiss, Ellie girl,” Lars murmured, “but I have to stop, or I won’t stop. We have time to learn each other.”

  He pulled her into the shelter of his bigger body and locked her close with his muscular arm around her waist.

  “Good night,” he said, laying a kiss at the nape of her neck.

  Ellie scooted her bottom closer. “Good night, Lars.”

  Lars groaned. He was so hard it hurt. He hoped sleep would claim him but didn’t have much faith in the possibility.

  Ellie’s breathing slowed into the rhythm of slumber. He’d settle for lying awake with her in his arms on this, their first night together. The first of many.

  He had a lifetime of nights to give to Ellie.

  He hoped she’d take them.

  He hoped they lived to share them.

  Chapter 6

  Ellie squirmed in her saddle and tried to wrangle some of the thin material of her skirt between the rough leather and her thighs. Four days they’d ridden toward the mountain range and every one of tho
se days had included the torture of the soft skin of her legs rubbing, rubbing, rubbing. Her inner thighs had gone from pink to red and now they were a mottled purple of bruises. She didn’t even have a pair of bloomers. She’d left them by her feet back when Lars spanked her by the river and Sven came to the rescue.

  “You all right, Ellie girl?” Lars asked.

  She nodded and blinked to prevent a tear from sliding down her cheeks.

  “That’s a spanking offense, darling,’” Lars declared.

  “What? What is?” she demanded, her voice screechy shrill.

  “Lying.”

  “I didn’t lie about anything,” she insisted.

  “A lie doesn’t have to be a spoken thing. It can be unspoken, a problem left unsaid. How can I take care of you if you don’t tell me when something’s wrong?”

  “But I don’t have a problem.”

  “Now, don’t make it any worse, Ellie girl. Every night when we clean up, I’ve worried about you. Rubbing against that saddle is plain painful. I’ve waited for you to tell me, but I don’t think we can wait any longer. Your skin looks raw.” He paused. “I want you to be my woman, Ellie. I plan to take care of you. I ache to do it. But I can’t if you lie to me.”

  “I didn’t think of it that way, Lars. It just seemed to be my problem.” She shrugged her shoulders and heaved a sigh.

  “I know. I aim to only give you a few swats to help you remember, but if you keep secrets from me again, I’ll tan your hide.” Lars spoke with quiet assurance.

  “Is that another new rule, Mr. Nielson?” She gave her head a sassy shake.

  “You watch that attitude before those few swats turn into something more.” He surveyed the rising hill in front of them. “I suppose it is a new rule. Before I made rules to keep you safe. Now I made one to keep you happy. Tell me your troubles. Give me a chance to fix them. We got to talk if our life together is going to work. It’s a lesson I just learned. Learned it from Sven. He’s been teaching me, trying to keep me safe my whole life. I wouldn’t listen. Wouldn’t let him help me.” He glanced at the darkening sky. “I don’t aim to make that same mistake with you. I’m listening. I’m watching. I’m paying attention.” He pointed to a group of trees a little way ahead. “We’ll stay here tonight.”

  A confusion of emotions swirled from her brain to her stomach and made the return journey. She watched as Lars swung in one easy motion from his horse. He was beautiful, strong, sculpted, masculinity in a pair or worn jeans. The thoughts she had about him brought a blush and a surge of heat. So far, they had satisfied themselves with a goodnight kiss, but what a kiss. Those kisses left her with a hollow ache directly between her much-abused thighs. She could barely catch her breath when his tongue slid between her lips. Her breasts tingled with need and in her search for relief she’d rubbed them shamelessly against the front of his shirt.

  She gave her head a rueful shake. They didn’t satisfy themselves with a goodnight kiss; they unsatisfied themselves with it. She knew Lars lay awake for much of the night. She felt his hardness nestled into her behind. He was waiting, giving her time, doing what he said—taking care of her. She caught a sob before it burst free. Nobody had bothered with her, worried about her since Mitch left and Mama died.

  She wasn’t crazy about another rule, another cause for a spanking, but she loved his need to care for her. His need to protect and her craving for it were like biscuits and honey. Her feisty friend, Anna, would kick a man in the behind before swinging her own sexy bottom out the door if any fella tried to be her boss. A man’s protection would chafe and scald Anna, but Ellie cherished it. She craved it. Lars led. She followed.

  His large, warm hand on her thigh put an end to her daydreaming. “Let me help you down. Swing your leg over and slide into my arms.” He held her close, and she took a slow trip down the solid trunk of his body. When her face was level with his, he cupped the back of her head with his large hand and arranged her for his kiss. She linked her feet behind his back and pulled him close to the spot where her desire bloomed hot and wet. His mouth swept across hers in a gentle touching of lips—not quite a kiss, but a kiss all the same. She wanted more, but Lars lowered her to the ground.

  “We’d best stop right there, Ellie girl. God knows I want you, but it’s not the right time. I reckon I learned something from Sven after all,” he said with a sigh.

  “What did you learn?” She’d been aching to learn about his past. Little cryptic comments had her curiosity abuzz.

  “I learned that a woman can get pregnant after sleeping with a man only one time. I think the odds are against it, but that’s what happened to Caroline. She and Sven made love one time, and there came Micah. But Sven didn’t know she was pregnant, and it was my fault.” He removed his hat and ran his hand through his hair.

  “Your fault?” she prompted, hoping his revelations would continue.

  He dragged the saddle from the first horse, but he kept on with his story. “I guess you might as well know before we get any further down this road.” He stopped and pierced her with a blue gaze. “I’m no good. Well, I’ve been no good, but I aim to change.”

  “Sven doesn’t think you’re no good,” she protested.

  “Yeah, well, that’s cause Sven’s a saint.” His rugged laugh held years of regret. “Sven was always good. I was always bad. I won’t go into detail, but, trust me, it’s true.” He moved to the second horse. “Our ma always asked him to come after me. Get me out of whatever mess I was in, and he always came. I got in cahoots with some pretty bad men, and we were traveling fast and causing trouble. Staying one step ahead of the law. Sven caught up with me one day when me and my friends were robbing a bank. He didn’t have anything to do with it. It was bad timing is all, but he got charged as an accessory, and we both went to prison.”

  “Oh, no, poor Sven. That’s terrible,” Ellie whispered.

  “Yup, and that’s not all. Turns out while we were guests of the state of Texas, Caroline was pregnant and alone. After Sven got out, he went looking for her. He found her and Micah in San Miguel.”

  “How wonderful for them.” Ellie smiled. It was a fairy tale. Two lovers separated by cruel fate and reunited by a kinder one.

  “Let me tell the rest. I want to be honest with you about my low-down past. I was released from prison after Sven since I was more than an accessory to the robbery. I found them in that little Texas town. Sven was the preacher, and Caroline was the teacher. That just made me mad. Even after going to jail, he was still the golden boy. Folks still respected him, turned to him, confided in him. How was it his halo never slipped?” Lars turned to face her. His blue gaze pierced like a flame. “Turned out they hadn’t shared their history with the townsfolk, and I set the record straight. I’m not proud of this, Ellie, but I told the town their preacher was a jailbird, their teacher a trollop, and Micah a bastard.” He leaned his head against the side of the horse and ran his hand in long even strokes along his flank. “You might as well know the worst of it. I opened my big mouth during their wedding. I barged into that church and let my jealousy ruin their wedding day. They’d already said their vows. At least I didn’t stop that.”

  Ellie put her small hand on his back and waited.

  “That’s why they had to leave that Texas town. They were afraid sometime down the line Micah would be called that ugly name. People being what they are, I think they were right.”

  “After all that, Sven and Caroline invited you to travel with them?” Her voice rose along with her eyebrows.

  “Well, Sven forgave me. He always does, but Caroline holds a grudge against me,” he admitted. “But Sven and me did some talking, and I began to see how I could be a better man. Just because I’d been trouble on two legs in the past, didn’t mean I had to keep on that path. He convinced Caroline to let me travel with them. She didn’t want to at first, but when she saw how broken-hearted Sven would be if I was left behind, she agreed.” Lars heaved a sigh. “We were headed to Oregon to start a new li
fe when you stuck your hand into my back pocket.”

  “I’ve ruined all your plans.” Tears hovered unshed.

  He pulled her into a tight embrace. “Sven is a carpenter. Those were his boxes of tools we hid you between. We plan to buy a little land and farm, raise some cattle and have horses. Sven will make furniture. It’s what he loves best, finding the beauty in wood.” He turned and peered into her face. “I learned a few things. If I had listened to Sven earlier, we might have avoided years of trouble. Maybe not, since I was such a hothead, but maybe. That’s why I need you to always tell me what’s good and not so good with you. Keeping secrets hurts us, Ellie girl, and I’m hoping to keep you with me. I got dreams of red-headed children.”

  “I didn’t mean to keep secrets. I was trying to be brave since it’s my fault we’re on the run,” Ellie said.

  “It’s not your fault. It’s Simon Prescott’s fault,” Lars snorted.

  “You’re not going to spank me, are you? I didn’t know.” She peeked at his stern jaw through lowered lashes.

  “No, I won’t spank you although I do enjoy having your bare bottom over my lap.” He pressed a kiss into the side of her neck. “We’re close to the little town of Angel’s Camp. Tomorrow, I’ll head to town for supplies. I’ll buy you a pair of trousers and a man’s shirt. You can wear the pants under your skirt. That should fix the problem. If we need to, you can disguise yourself as a boy again.” His mouth turned down at the corners. “We’ll see. I don’t like the idea of my woman parading around in pants. That round bottom is only for me.” He gave those cheeks a friendly swat.

  “Thank you, Lars,” she murmured. “Can I come to town with you?” Ellie asked.

  “No, that wouldn’t be smart. I’ll find a place for you to hide.” Lars placed another kiss on the side of her mouth and groaned. “Lord, I want you, girl, but we can’t risk it. Caroline got pregnant after one time with Sven. We can travel fast and quiet now. If you were with child, it would be too dangerous. We can’t chance it. I want those children, but I need to be able to keep you and them safe.”