Tame A Honeymoon Heart Read online

  “Read the will.” He looked at the dresser where he’d set the papers. “I’ve got to know if living there is a requirement of the will. If it is, there’s no need to even bother with the stud farm books. I’ll just give the whole pile back to Philip and tell him we are not interested.”

  Catherine took his face between her palms, rubbing her thumbs gently over his cheeks. She loved this man, so much! “You would do that for me? You could be turning down a fortune.”

  “We have money. We’ll be fine.”

  She leaned into him until he fell backward onto the bed and then sprawled on top of him. “I love you, Duncan McKenzie.”

  “I love you, too, Mrs. McKenzie.” He wrapped his arms around her waist and held her to him so that she could feel his erection. “So, do you want to read the papers?”

  “Nope.”

  “What then?” he asked with a wink.

  She wriggled atop him until he groaned. “You know what I want to do,” she said with a saucy smile.

  “Good,” he said, as he flipped them over until he was on top. He started undoing the buttons on her dress.

  He fumbled with them for a few moments before impatience ran over her. She had to feel him. Now! “Here, let me. You get yourself out of those clothes.”

  He stood up and dropped his pants, fully erect. Impatient as she was, he raised her skirts, parted her bloomers and slid home with a groan.

  She raised her knees, giving him better access and moaned. “Ah, you feel so good. I want you here all the time.”

  “Oh, that I could be,” he said as he moved within her.

  She moved against him, with him, up when he came down and back when he did. The motion was like a dance that only they knew the steps to. A dance they waltzed over and over again. Their favorite one, the one that made their babies and gave them the greatest pleasure.

  They slept in until seven o’clock, after the vigorous activities of the prior night, then enjoyed a leisurely breakfast in the dining room. Catherine felt achy warmth at the thought of their love making.

  “What’s on your agenda for today?” asked Duncan between bites of Eggs Benedict, a new addition to the already extensive menu of the restaurant according to the waiter. Some of the Hollandaise sauce escaped and he licked his lips to catch it.

  Need flared within her at the sensuous movement.

  “Hey, if you’re looking for recipes, this dish is great. You should get this one.”

  She nodded her agreement. “I’ll ask for it along with the brownie recipe before we leave. The worst that can happen is they say no. As for today, I thought we’d visit the Midway.”

  “Midway?”

  “It’s where they have all kinds of attractions. Games of chance and skill. It’s where the Ferris Wheel is located. Did you know that the Ferris Wheel can hold two thousand one hundred sixty people at one time?”

  Duncan groaned.

  She grinned. “I know what you’re thinking, but if we do it first thing, maybe we won’t have to stand in line that long.”

  “They only opened it today. It will take hours to get that many people on the machine,” complained Duncan.

  “I read that they only fill seven of the gondolas. Each ride has six stops for passengers and then one full non-stop revolution that is supposed to last nine minutes. But it’s an extra fifty cents to ride the Ferris wheel.”

  Her husband laughed. “Fifty cents isn’t going to break the bank.”

  “Don’t you think we’re spending too much money?” She chewed on her bottom lip. Last year the country was in a deep depression, and though it hadn’t affected them very much because their horses weren’t ready to sell, it still left her wary of what could happen.

  Duncan wiped his mouth with a cloth napkin. “Cat, how often do we get to come to Chicago? The World’s Fair is a once in a lifetime experience. Besides, in case you hadn’t noticed, we’re wealthy. I made over one hundred thousand dollars in bounties and didn’t spend all that much of it until we bought the first cutters. You brought at least that much with you when we married, not to mention the land for the ranch your father gave us for a wedding present. Money is not one of our problems, sweetheart.” Duncan took her hand in his from across the breakfast table. “Enjoy yourself, my love. Just enjoy.”

  Catherine smiled at her husband. He was such a good man, and these times, when he was so kind and gentle with her, only made her love him more. She knew he could be fierce; he’d saved her life when John Morgan tried to kill her. It was a ploy to get Duncan there and actually kill him. John wanted the land the ranch stood on and thought by killing Duncan, he could then compromise Cat and she’d have to marry him. But John underestimated Duncan. That was a mistake people only made once.

  She shook away the dark thoughts. The past belonged in the past. Morgan couldn’t hurt her any more. “You’re right. Shall we go? We can get in that line before it gets too long.” She set her reticule on the table, put on her walking gloves, and then rose.

  Duncan left the money on the table for their breakfast and followed Catherine out of the dining room. They exited the lobby and the doorman hailed them a cab to the fair.

  Once there, they walked through the throngs of people to the Ferris Wheel and got in the line to ride it. Because it was an extra fifty cents per person, there weren’t as many people as there might have been. They only had to wait about thirty minutes before they were inside the gondola, standing by one of the fancy, twisted wire chairs. Though the car was capable of holding sixty passengers, there were only thirty-eight chairs. Catherine and Duncan decided they didn’t want to sit in the chairs, preferring to stand by the windows and look out onto the city.

  It was a clear day and the view was spectacular. Not only could they see over all the Fairgrounds, the city and Lake Michigan, but the weather was clear enough, and they were high enough to see into the surrounding states as well.

  Catherine had never seen anything like it. She was used to not being able to see farther than the next mountain peak. Seeing the long distance like this made her feel very small in the scheme of things. “Duncan, look. There’s our hotel. Recognize the roof top?”

  She watched him follow her finger to where she was pointing.

  “Yes, I see it.” He glanced down at the fairgrounds. “How high up do you think we are?”

  She pulled the booklet from her reticule. “Well, it says here the wheel is over two hundred and sixty feet high.”

  He whistled. “Never thought I’d be that high off the ground.”

  Catherine looked at the city below and saw all the people milling around like tiny ants. Her stomach roiled. She needed to sit. Quickly. “I wish you hadn’t said anything.” She looked behind her at the fancy chairs, hoping to find one that was empty.

  Duncan looked at his wife’s face and knew from the pale color that she needed to get away from the window. Damn, he should never have allowed her to do this! He wrapped his arm around her back and guided her to the nearest chair. “Here, Cat. Sit for a while. The ride can’t run that much longer.”

  “I…I think I’m going to be sick.”

  “No. You’re not,” he commanded. “Don’t look out. Just look at the floor and you’ll be fine.”

  “I’ve never been this high. Who knew it would affect me like this?”

  “It’s probably because you’re pregnant.”

  She nodded and took a deep breath.

  Eight minutes later they were disembarking the Ferris Wheel’s car. Catherine looked better now that her feet were on solid ground. Her color returned and so did Duncan’s calm. It always worried him when she was ill, no matter how little.

  “Want to check out the rest of the Midway or would you rather just go back to the hotel?” asked Duncan. He’d be perfectly happy to go back to the hotel and get her off her feet but he’d leave it up to her.

  “The Midway.” She smiled. “I’m feeling much better now.”

  Called the Midway Plaisance, shortened to simply the
Midway, it was just that, a walkway located in the middle of the fairgrounds and pavilions. It was a place of games of chance, freak shows, and burlesque shows. A circus atmosphere prevailed.

  A game attracted Catherine’s attention. It was a shooting game where, if you hit three targets, you won a stuffed animal. There were five shots in which to do it, but you had to use their gun.

  “Duncan. Please. I want a stuffed animal,” she cajoled.

  “Come on, mister,” said the game’s operator. “You don’t want to disappoint the little lady.”

  Catherine smiled coyly.

  Duncan cocked an eyebrow and tilted his head, but walked to the booth where the man handed him a gun. He used the first of his shots to see how the gun was sighted in and the next three to take down the targets. He didn’t need the fifth shot. He handed the gun to the game’s operator, who seemed thunderstruck.

  “How’d you do that, mister?” he asked, handing Duncan a small stuffed lion.

  “Practice,” replied Duncan. He turned to Cat. “Shall we go?”

  She clutched the lion he’d just won. “Yes, but we have two children. We need another stuffed animal.”

  “Hey, mister,” said the operator as they turned away. “If you can hit targets with all five shots, I’ll give you the big bear, up there.” He pointed over his head to a giant stuffed bear.

  Duncan looked over the prizes. There was the small lion he’d already won, next prize up was a large stuffed bear, but still only about half the size of the three foot tall bear on the top shelf.

  “I hit all five and we trade the lion for two of those bears.” He pointed at the shelf of smaller bears.

  “Done,” said the game worker with a smile.

  Duncan picked back up the pistol he’d used. The operator gave him four bullets because the fifth was still in the gun. As Duncan was loading the gun, he noticed the last round was lighter than the other three. He waved the operator over. “I want five new bullets,” he told the man.

  “You already got five,” was the reply and the man started to turn away.

  “You give me five, full-load bullets,” Duncan spoke quietly, “or I’ll let everyone here know you’re running a crooked game. And I don’t mind staying all day to make sure you have no business.”

  The man swallowed hard. “You can’t do that,” he sputtered.

  “Watch me.” Duncan put down the gun and turned his back on the booth operator. “May I have everyone’s attention,” he said loudly to the crowd.

  “Stop!” The operator reached around Duncan. “Here. Take the bullets. Just shoot and be gone.”

  Taking the new rounds, Duncan loaded the gun, then cocked it and fired, without stopping, five shots, hitting every target.

  The crowd cheered.

  Catherine grinned, handed the game’s operator the lion and took one of the stuffed bears he handed her. Duncan took the other bear as he put his weapon down on the flat wooden plank that served as a counter.

  “Thanks,” said Duncan. “You should be careful who you try to cheat in the future. They might not be as forgiving as I am.”

  The man flushed and nodded.

  Duncan figured the man would probably wait about thirty minutes, until the fear wore off, before he went right back to giving people light loads and preventing them from winning regardless of their prowess with a gun. He shook his head. There was no need for the operator to cheat. With those weapons, most people wouldn’t be able to hit the side of a barn, much less a little round target.

  None of them had his experience. Duncan was an exceptional shot, with a reputation to go with it. He might not hunt bounties anymore, but that didn’t mean he let those skills deteriorate. He practiced daily. He never knew when he might have to protect his family, and he was always prepared.

  As they walked away, Catherine laughed. “That man never expected to have Duncan McKenzie, world famous bounty hunter at his stall today. Think he’ll remember his little lesson for long?”

  “Only until he’s sure I’m not coming back,” said Duncan dryly.

  The joy of Catherine’s laugh lightened his heart. He’d ride over mountains and deserts, ford rivers just to hear that laugh. Luckily for him, he didn’t have to. She was right there next to him, as she always would be. He put the bear in his right arm, put his left arm around Catherine’s waist and hugged her to him.

  “What’s this for?” she asked.

  “Just because you’re you and I love you so much.”

  She cuddled closer and leaned her head on his shoulder while they walked. Passersby either frowned in disgust at such a blatant public display of affection or smiled in understanding and perhaps envy for never having done it themselves.

  “People are staring,” said Duncan, but he didn’t loosen his hold on her.

  “Do you care?” She didn’t even try to disguise the contentment in her voice.

  “Not in the least.”

  “Good. I don’t either.”

  They walked that way for a while longer, then broke apart only long enough to take each other’s hands. Continuing hand-in-hand to the front gates, they picked up a cab for the ride back to the Palmer House.

  CHAPTER 5

  Duncan held her close in the cab. Then he took his knuckle and gently raised her chin until she looked at him.

  “I love you.” He said the words knowing they couldn’t convey the intensity of his feelings for her. This very special woman. His wife.

  “I love you, too.” She cocked her head at him.

  In answer to her look, he lowered his head until his lips touched hers, took them tenderly, moved his tongue against them, plunging forward when she granted him entry. He tasted, feasted on his beautiful bride. She would always be his bride. It didn’t matter how many years they were together or how many children they had, she would forever be his bride. His one and only.

  She pulled back, gasping for breath. “Are you all right?” she asked.

  He grinned. “I’m great, when I’m with you. We have the perfect life together. I feel like I’m the luckiest man in the world. All because of you…and our children. I don’t know where I’d be now, if not for you.”

  “We are a team,” said Catherine while she cupped his jaw with her palm. “I could never be happy without you or our children. You’re my world.”

  “And you’re mine. What do you say we have dinner in our room?” He smiled wickedly. “If you weren’t already pregnant, I’d say we could work on number three.”

  “I think that’s a marvelous idea,” she blew him a kiss, “including the activity after dinner.”

  They crossed the Grand Rotunda, eliciting smiles from the adults and giggles from the children as they passed carrying the stuffed bears. They stopped by the restaurant and requested a cold supper be sent to the room. Then they walked as slowly as they could manage toward the room, excitement building with each step. By the time they reached their room, they could hardly keep their hands off of each other. The bears prevented them from getting too far ahead of themselves, but when the door closed, the bears went flying into a corner and Duncan took Catherine into his arms.

  “I’ve missed you,” he said between kisses.

  “You can’t have missed me,” she laughed. “We’ve been together all day.”

  He nuzzled her neck. “Not like I want to be.”

  He slipped her jacket off her shoulders onto the floor, and then began working on the buttons of her blouse, opening each one and kissing the skin that was revealed. When he finally had all of them open, he slipped her shirt off and let it join the jacket in a heap.

  “You’re not being very nice to my new outfit,” she said as she undid the hooks on her corset.

  “I’m being very nice,” he retorted. “I didn’t rip the thing off of you like I wanted.”

  “Thank you. I appreciate your consideration.” She giggled as he cupped her breasts when they popped free of the confines of the corset. Then he took one into his mouth and there were no mor
e giggles.

  “Oh, God,” she moaned, throwing her head back.

  He moved his lips from her breast to her neck, also exposed for his pleasure. She shivered as he nipped her neck with his teeth, then immediately soothed her with his tongue.

  His left hand worked on her right breast, while his right hand loosened her skirt and slipped it over her hips, followed by her bloomers. He kept kissing her, moving from her neck to her lips to her breast until she writhed with excitement.

  “Duncan!” Her voice rose to a near shout, when his hand delved into her nether region, searching for and finding her love bud, working it until she squirmed.

  He laughed.

  She swatted him and backed away. “You have too many clothes on, and it’s not fair. I want to tease you as much as you are me.”

  Her eyes flashed, she turned, smiled over her shoulder, and sashayed to the bed. She sat down, scooted to the center and crooked her finger at him.

  He was instantly harder than he’d been before, if that was possible. The things this woman did to him. He undid his belt and the pants beneath it, sat in the chair and toed off his boots, slipped his pants and drawers onto the floor and stood, wearing only his shirt.

  She crooked her finger again and licked her lips.

  He ripped the shirt off, buttons flying.

  She laughed, deep and throaty.

  Taking two long steps, he reached the bed and crawled up between her legs, covering her with his body. He shoved himself into her. She was slick and ready for him, as always. He slid forward, burying himself deep within her welcoming warmth.

  She moaned, wrapped her legs around his hips, and scored his back with her nails, hanging on as they rode together into ecstasy.

  Later, after they’d recuperated and were relaxing, they ate their cold supper of rare roast beef sandwiches, potato salad, hard boiled eggs, apples and, of course, brownies for dessert. They washed it all down with cold apple cider.

  “I miss the kids,” said Catherine, wrapped in Duncan’s arms. “I want to go home.”

  “We still have over a week to go and we have to go see Philip and Penelope tomorrow.” He didn’t want to think about it now, not after the wonderful lovemaking they’d just done, but he had to.