A Man for Glory Read online

  His hand went to the buttons of her bodice, undoing them carefully, gently and with a purpose she could not help but understand.

  “Must I take off my gown?” she asked as his hand touched the skin beneath the fine cotton. He traced the rise of her breast and she inhaled sharply.

  “I’d like you to. I want to see you, Glory. I’ve waited a long time for this, for my wedding night, for I plan to have only one such night in my life. We’re married now, sweetheart, for the rest of our lives, and I need to see the woman I’ve married.”

  “You haven’t known me a long time, Cade. Only just less than two weeks.”

  “It’s seemed like an age since you said you’d marry me. You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to have a wife of my own, a woman who would take care of me and give me her love.”

  “I’ll try, Cade. I know I promised to love, honor and obey you, and I don’t think I’ll have any trouble with the obeying part, for I want to please you. I suspect I’ll grow to love you someday, and honoring my husband is something I’ve been taught was the right and proper thing to do since I was but a young girl. But—”

  He grew a bit impatient, his words overriding her small protest. “Tonight is my night to please you, Glory,” he told her, pulling her upright to slide the gown down her arms, allowing the fabric to encircle her as she sat beside him. His hand touched her breast and she flinched from his fingers against her skin.

  The memory of the men she’d fled, those on the wagon train who had considered her fair game and had offered marriage, lived deep in her heart, and now the remembrance was alive in her mind. The night when one of the miners had come to her in the shadows and attempted to embrace her, his hand falling on her breast, his fingers squeezing, his breath hot in her face.

  For just a moment, his face was that of Cade’s and she stilled beside him, her fear a living thing within her. She pushed at his hand and he placed it instead at her waist. And yet, this was Cade, tonight doing his best to be kind and patient, his dark eyes warm as he smiled down at her. He was a man she could admire, tall and well muscled, strong and handsome, his dark hair falling over his forehead, his cheeks warm with the flush of desire. And the sight pleased her, for he’d said she was the woman he’d waited for, the one he’d chosen to marry. Suddenly, she knew she need not fear him, for even though he was strong, he would not use his strength against her more frail frame. And though he touched her with his long fingers and wide palms, she did not fear him, for he had said he would never harm or hurt her.

  And she knew, in her heart of hearts, that she could trust this man she’d married. Knew that he would give her his body in marriage and take hers in turn, and in the taking there would only be joy and pleasure. Her breast warmed from his touch and she looked down to where his big hand once more held her flesh with tender care.

  “I won’t hurt you, sweetheart. I only want to touch you.” When she nodded, he once more fitted his hand beneath the soft curve and held the weight of her breast in his palm, measuring it in silence, looking down at the crumpled bit of flesh that tempted him.

  He dropped his head and placed a warm caress there, where the pink crest seemed to reach toward his mouth. His tongue touched it and he heard her breath catch in her throat, as she shivered and trembled at his touch.

  With careful hands he eased her back beside him and then his hands were at her waist, folding the gown beneath his fingers till he scooped it from her body and off the bed. She tugged at the sheet, as if she needed the reassurance of a cover to hide herself from his view. But he would not have it, for he took the soft cotton from her fingers and pushed it away, down her body, until her waist, breasts and the soft curves of her hips were exposed to his view.

  “Cade, I don’t like being naked this way,” she protested, her hand covering the vee of her thighs, the other arm lying across her breasts.

  “Ah, sweetheart, I won’t hurt you.” He pulled the sheet up a bit and rued losing sight of the vision he’d covered.

  She took his breath, this slender girl with curves that belonged to a woman, for she was rounded nicely, her breasts larger than he’d expected, her waist small, her hips gently flaring and the small mound there at the vee of her thighs fluffy with a covering of dark hair that drew him like a magnet.

  She was perfect. And all this beauty belonged to him. It was almost more than his imagination could handle: that Glory was here, within reach, and had given him leave to make love with her.

  Chapter Eight

  He touched her waist, placed his palm on the curve of her belly beneath the sheet and bent to kiss her again, his lips easing hers open just a bit, tasting the sweetness of her mouth. She returned his kiss, the pressure of his lips seeming to please her, for she sighed and her arms circled his neck.

  “It’s not you, Cade, that makes me feel so shaky, but the memory of the miners on the wagon train who were determined to get their hands on me. I’ve felt ever since that I have to protect myself and …”

  “It’s all right, Glory. You haven’t told me that part of your story before, and I didn’t know that bad memories lived in your mind. I can only tell you that it isn’t just your body that lures me close, although I’d be lying if I said that all your curves and lovely rounded places don’t appeal to me in a mighty way. But there’s more to you than a body, sweetheart.

  “I love the woman you are. I admire the strength and tenderness you show the children, and I want some of that for myself, I guess.”

  He let his head drop until it pressed against her waist, and her hand lifted to lie on the back of his neck. “I’m truly trying, Cade. I didn’t mean to cause you to be angry with me.”

  “Far from it, sweetheart.” And then he paused, lifting himself up and over her again, his lips finding hers and pressing a multitude of kisses there and upon her face, her cheeks and forehead, the soft flesh of her throat. “Will you let me love you, Glory? Will you give your body to me and let me make it mine?” His voice was rough, his tones raw with passion and he hoped once more that she would not fear him, that her answer would be pleasing to him.

  Her nod was slight, and he lifted his head, Her eyes were shiny with a hint of tears as she looked up at him. “I want to be a good wife, Cade. I’ll do whatever you say.”

  A man could not desire more than those words, he found, for his heart was touched by the simplicity of her offer. He brushed the dampness from her cheeks, then whispered soft coaxing endearments as he bent lower, his mouth against her breasts, his hands running the length of her body, touching her thighs, her hips, circling her waist and then finally moving her small hand aside, allowing him to explore the warmth she sheltered between her legs. She was soft, damp and willing, and his thankfulness knew no bounds.

  It was more than he’d hoped to find, the softness, her flesh yielding to his touch. And Cade felt more a man at that moment than he ever had in his life.

  That this fragile, slender reed of a woman would give herself into his care so readily was more than he had thought possible. He’d thought to coax her, perhaps woo her for however long it took to work past her inhibitions. And now, even though she was fearful and fighting off memories of the past, she’d offered him all she had, all she was.

  All of her, his for the taking.

  She moved beneath his hands, lifting to his touch as he ventured farther and discovered the warmth of her womanhood. Her hips rose, seeming to welcome the fingers that explored her soft places. He was careful, seeking out the tight channel he would claim in moments, and he found it to be taut and narrow around his finger. A woman untried, a girl whose innocence drew him.

  He rejoiced at her open welcome of his loving. She sighed, her breath coming in quickening puffs against his cheek, then his shoulder, as he found the places that would provide her with pleasure, careful but determined as he explored the body no man had touched before tonight.

  And that thought filled him with a joy he’d never known. A thankfulness to the man who had wed her and care
d for her, who had left her untouched for this time and this place.

  Her body warmed to his touch and Glory welcomed the careful easing of his hand against her softest parts. He slid one long finger within her and she inhaled sharply.

  “I didn’t hurt you, did I, sweet?” he asked quickly, and she shook her head.

  “No, it feels good, but I wasn’t expecting you to do that.”

  He laughed softly. “You’re so warm and soft, Glory. I know you’re a virgin and I fear I’ll cause you some pain, but I’ll try not to hurt you, love. Just be patient with me.”

  But her thoughts were far from fearful, for his movements against her body, the touch of his fingers there where her flesh throbbed warmly against his caresses, brought a pleasure she had not known possible. She sobbed deep within her throat and it was as if she was nearing some great discovery, for her entire body was caught up in the peak of delight he brought her. She found her hips lifting and falling, her flesh meeting his clever hand as he brought her closer to what she sought, and then, as though she had been granted some joy unknown to her before, she felt a shivering, quivering thrill sweep over her and she was caught up in long moments of pleasure.

  “Ah, sweetheart.” Cade whispered the words in her ear as he swept his hand along the length of her body, spreading her thighs a bit as he turned to settle between her knees. “I’ll be careful, love,” he swore, lifting her legs and joining their bodies slowly.

  As she gasped at the sharp twinge of his taking and would have cried aloud, he kissed her, holding the sound between them, until she almost collapsed in his embrace, her lips touching him where they would, her small cries telling him of her pleasure.

  She slid her arms around his neck, pulling him against herself as if she would mold their bodies together, impress her breasts against his chest, her belly against his, her legs entwining with his own. The tears she’d tried to withhold were now being shed against his skin … tears of joy she could not explain.

  “Glory, I’m sorry. I didn’t want to hurt you, sweetheart, but I knew it would be easier if I did this quickly. It’ll never hurt you again, I promise. Only this once.”

  He lay quietly upon her, feeling the tight grasp her body placed on his manhood, and it was all he could do to remain still, not to thrust into her. But there would be other nights when he could do as he pleased, when his body could take its pleasure without fear of hurting her, and for now he would do what he could to make this easy for her.

  He drew back and then penetrated her anew, hearing her small gasp as she accepted him, feeling the clasp of her legs around his, the warmth of her arms as they encircled his neck. He felt the quickening of his flesh that foretold the rush of pleasure that awaited him, and he retreated once more from her, then pressed within, the acute ecstasy branding him. His body trembled against hers and he was awash with the delight she brought him.

  She breathed then against his throat, her words soft, almost inaudible, until he lifted from her and looked down at the stunned look of joy on her face.

  “Cade … I don’t know what to say. It feels so strange, but so right, as if you’ve made us into one being, one person. Is this what my mother spoke of when she said that a man and his wife would be one flesh?”

  “I think she got that out of the Good Book, Glory. Seems like I’ve seen it in there and heard it spoken in the marriage services when I was a boy. Sounds like a good description to me. It makes sense that we become as one, for from now on we’ll be together, you and me.”

  “I’m glad,” she whispered against his ear. “I’m so glad it was you, Cade, that I’ve never done this with anyone else.”

  He felt a laugh bubbling up within him and swallowed it. No way would he let her think he laughed at her words. But a wash of pure happiness caught him broadside and he was stunned by the treasure he held in his embrace. He’d known she would be generous with her body, felt sure she would give him all he asked for, but he’d not realized how truly warm and wonderful she was, how fully she was able to set aside her modesty to become his wife. This untried girl who had today turned him into a husband.

  Chapter Nine

  For the next few weeks, one day seemed to flow into the next, Glory satisfied to work in the house, cleaning, cooking, finding bliss in the joys of marriage. Though Cade was, without a doubt, the head of the home they had formed between them, she knew he considered her to be the warmth that kept things moving along the proper path.

  He’d given her no reason to fear his presence here; nor had he treated her as anything other than a woman to be honored and respected. He spoke with her daily of the small happenings on the farm, shared with her every event that transpired in the barn and fields beyond. They sat in the kitchen every morning after breakfast, sharing a cup of coffee while the dishes sat soaking in the sink. And this morning was no exception. He watched as she wiped down the stove and waited for her to take her place across from him, even as the youthful voices of Buddy and Essie rang on the breeze that blew from the yard.

  He spoke now, his words seeming to be ones he’d considered for a time before they were said aloud. “Now that all the mares have dropped their foals, I think we need to consider turning the farm into a horse ranch.” It sounded more like a done deal than an idea tossed on the table for Glory’s consideration, and she turned from the stove to face Cade and discuss his latest project.

  “Can’t it be both?” she asked, thinking of the tremendous amount of work entailed in raising a herd of horses. Surely just gardening and cutting hay and training the three foals he already had possession of was enough to keep both of them busy. Expanding the farm to that extent would mean investing in more horses and spending money they didn’t have. Where Cade had found the cash to purchase the three mares he’d already bought from Earl Bradley was a question Glory had put off asking.

  But now seemed like a good time to get things out in the open. “How can we afford a horse ranch, Cade? I have no idea where the money came from when you bought the three mares, but surely you aren’t possessed of an endless supply. I had no idea you planned to turn this place upside down and make big changes in the way of life here.”

  He sat on his chair at the head of the table and motioned Glory closer. “We need to talk about this, sweetheart. Yes, I had some money when I came here, some of it the results of poker playing while I roamed from one place to another. And then I’d saved everything I earned, all but my room and board, when I worked for a while as a sheriff’s deputy in Oklahoma for almost a year. I used a bit of it for the mares—”

  “A bit of it?” she asked, breaking into his explanation. “It took more than a bit of cash to buy three pregnant mares and you know it. And now you want to invest further, and won’t that give you control over the whole place? The farm Harvey Clark left for his son?”

  Cade sent up a silent prayer for patience, a virtue he was short of today. “There’s one thing you haven’t thought of, Glory. According to the law, when we got married, the farm became mine. Legally, I own the place. And before you fly off into a rage, let me emphasize the fact that when the time comes, this place will be Buddy’s. But that isn’t going to happen for ten years or so, in my estimation. In the meantime, I’ll be building it up into a fine horse ranch, with a pasture full of foals every year and a steady supply of customers who buy them. By the time Buddy takes over here, he’ll have a fine living, raising and training horses. It’ll still be Buddy’s no matter what.”

  “And when was all this decided?” She sat down as he’d directed, her heart pounding, her lungs seemingly in a vise, for she could barely breathe.

  Cade leaned back in his chair. “I’ve been thinking about it from the first, making plans to enlarge the barn a bit. In fact, fitting out the mare’s stalls for birthing and building new ones for the additional animals we’ve managed to accumulate is just the beginning.”

  She spoke slowly, deliberately. “This was your plan from the first, wasn’t it? That you’d take over the place.
”

  He let his chair thump to the floor and his face fell into angry lines. “I suppose you could say that. My viewpoint is a bit different, but I guess the final line is that I’m not content to cut hay and gather eggs as a full-time job. I’m more interested in doing something that will make money and offer all of us a secure future.”

  “All of us?” She’d thought things were pretty well on an even keel since the wedding, with Cade in her bed every night and working all day in the barn and the corral, tending his horses and pounding a hammer during the afternoons.

  “You’re my wife, Glory. And I’ve taken on the care of Buddy and Essie. I think that speaks for itself.”

  “I think you’re more interested in what you can do to line your pockets than in the three of us, Cade McAllister.”

  He stood, seeming to loom over her, his palms flat on the table, his eyes flashing an anger she’d never seen exhibited. “And I think you’re talking like a blooming idiot, Glory McAllister. In case you’ve forgotten, you go by the same name I do, and anything I do here will benefit you as much as it does me.”

  Blooming idiot, indeed. She scooted her chair from the table and rose quickly, crossing the room and running up the stairs to her bedroom door. He was fast on her heels and when she would have shut the door in his face, his big-booted foot held it open.

  “Don’t ever try to close me out of this room,” he said, his words so quiet they only served to frighten her further. He stepped into the bedroom and closed the door. His hands rose to grasp her shoulders, but she backed away, escaping his touch.

  And then realized her mistake.

  Cade, normally the most peaceable of men, was livid with anger, his face flushed with the fury that drove him, compelling him toward her. He caught up with her in front of her dresser and backed her against it, his big body holding her before him.

  “Cade, let me go. I’ve got things to do out in the garden.” She tried the sensible approach, pushing at him with no success, for he did not budge from his stance.