Wild Winds Read online

  Before either Hawk or Maggie could fire their weapons, Diablo stepped backward toward Hawk as Berk’s body lurched forward after several arrows struck him forcefully in the back. Ready to fire, Berk’s finger jerked on the trigger and he got off one shot as he was thrown offbalance, the bullet barely missing Hawk as it whizzed past his right shoulder.

  Hawk’s gaze retraced the flight pattern of those arrows, and both he and Maggie sighted the small band of Apaches on a hillside nearby. The group leader lifted his hand, sent Hawk a signal, grasped his mount’s reins, and the braves left.

  Maggie rushed to Hawk, put down her rifle, and covered his face with kisses. As he hugged her and chuckled, she scolded in lingering anxiety, “You scared years off of my life, Hawk Reynolds! I couldn’t get a shot at him because Diablo got in my line of fire. I was afraid he would either sight me changing positions or there wasn’t time to do so.”

  “I know, but it would have aroused his suspicions if I’d told Diablo to move aside. He must have thought I could beat him to the draw because he refused to give me a fair fight. I’m fine, love, so relax.”

  “What did he toss to you?”

  Hawk showed her the locket, and related what Berk had told him.

  “So it was Berk with Pete that day, not Ben. As bad as my stepbrother was, Hawk, I’m glad he wasn’t involved.”

  “So am I, for your sake, and for your mother’s and Mr. Carver’s. Since Ben was innocent of that crime, we don’t need to mention it to them later. It’s over, Maggie, our work together and my quest for justice. Or it will be as soon as Pete and Slim are hanged. Now, my parents and brother can rest in peace, and I can have peace of mind and heart. I want you to have my mother’s locket,” he said as he turned her around to fasten it.

  Maggie lifted the gold circle, opened it again, and gazed at the two pictures. “She was so beautiful and he so handsome, Hawk; and so is Stone. You and your brother favored each other greatly, and you resemble both of your parents.”

  “You sure it doesn’t bother you I’m part Cheyenne?”

  Maggie embraced him as she vowed, “Never. As we’ve seen today, Indians can be friends if we allow it. After we reach home, you can tell me all about your family.”

  “First, we have to visit Tucson and clear up matters there. And we have to file our reports and resign our jobs. Then we’ll head for our ranch. But for now, wife of mine, let’s see if we can make Socorro before dark; a hot meal, bath, and soft bed is what we need.”

  “That sounds too tempting to pass up, so let’s get moving.”

  “First, I want to remove and hide those arrows. I wouldn’t want anybody finding Berk’s body and misunderstanding his killing.”

  Since Maggie knew Indian bands, tribes, and warriors could be identified by the markings on arrows, she concurred with Hawk’s precaution. “Are we going to bury him or take his body into town?” she asked.

  “This is one time I think it’s best to let a man stay where he’s fallen and let Nature have her way with him. I don’t want the sheriff seeing those kinds of wounds and asking questions I don’t want answered.”

  After his task was finished and they collected their weapons, Hawk and Maggie mounted and returned to where Blaze awaited them. They followed the Rio Salado to where it dumped into the Rio Grande, then rode along that river’s bank until they reached Socorro shortly after sunset.

  They tended their horses and checked into the Windsor Hotel where Maggie had stayed recently under much different circumstances.

  They ate a delicious meal downstairs while water was being heated and hauled to a large oval tub in their lovely room.

  After they entered it and Hawk locked the door, he suggested Maggie take her bath first. But she smiled seductively and invited him to join her.

  “Surely this huge tub is big enough to accommodate both of us. You can scrub my back and I’ll scrub yours. That way, we can finish at the same time and go to bed together.” She saw Hawk’s gaze gleam with excitement.

  “I’ve never bathed with a woman before, nor anybody else except Stone when we were small. Sounds interesting and fun to me, woman.”

  Maggie noticed an absence of bitterness and anguish at the mention of his deceased brother. She realized he had accepted that tragic loss and dealt with his grief. She was glad he could remember the good times and had found peace, as she had done following her father’s death, though she still missed him.

  Maggie slowly and provocatively removed her boots and garments as Hawk watched her with a passion-filled gaze. She stepped into the warm water and asked, “Need any help, partner?”

  Hawk stripped fast and joined her, with her at one end and him at the other. For a minute, he only gazed at her, admiring her beauty and congratulating himself for snaring her as his wife. “You’re so enchanting, Maggie Reynolds, that you almost steal my breath and wits. Mercy, you’re tempting and I’m the luckiest man alive.”

  “I’m the fortunate one, Hawk; I have the man I love with me forever.” Maggie moved toward him and took a position across his lap, her knees touching the tub’s bottom and her legs folded back toward their feet. “You are the one who’s irresistible, ex-marshal Reynolds. I love you so much I fear my heart will burst with joy.”

  Hawk’s hands cupped her shoulders; then he leisurely roved them down her arms to cover hers on his chest. He lifted the one with the wedding band and kissed its palm. “I love you, woman, with all I am.”

  Maggie leaned forward to seal their mouths in a long, deep, and heady kiss. She felt the stirring in his loins against hers. She yearned to unite their bodies, but wanted to build up enough anticipation to drive them both wild first. She took a cloth, lathered it, and slowly washed his torso savoring the sight and feel of his virile physique. She now knew that his chest was hairless due to his Indian heritage. She gazed at his midnight hair, brown eyes, and bronzed skin, and surmised they were precious gifts from his mother and her Cheyenne bloodline. She dipped the cloth and drizzled water over his sleek flesh to rinse away the soap, a fragrant brand of the hotel’s.

  Hawk playfully stole the cloth from her to perform that same task on her satiny skin. He noticed how her breathing quickened and her eyes glowed as he swirled the cloth around her breasts and stroked her nipples with it. He grinned and she smiled as those peaks grew taut, standing at attention like little rosy brown summits covered by melting snow. He rinsed off the lather, chuckling as bubbles slid down her stomach and either swam away in the water or cuddled close to her waist. He bent forward and kissed each inviting point. He dropped the cloth into the water, put his hands on her back, and drew her closer so he could kiss and suckle them.

  Maggie arched toward him, allowing her head to drift backward. She closed her eyes and absorbed those blissful sensations. Her fingers played in his ebony hair and danced along the nape of his neck and over his shoulders.

  They stroked and caressed and kissed until both were aflame with fiery need. Maggie lifted herself slightly when Hawk grasped his erection and thrust it into her. She lowered herself and he arched upward for deeper penetration until every inch was within her. They hugged tightly and kissed feverishly as their hips remained still for a while as they used hands and lips to tantalize and pleasure each other.

  Then they began a rocking pattern which thrilled both. Nothing and no one entered their thoughts as they sealed their vows of love.

  Soon, they worked as one in a near mindless frenzy, so great was their hunger for each other. A promise of sweet rapture coiled steadily within them as they rode closer toward the brink of ecstasy.

  At last, they were rewarded with mind-soaring climaxes. Even so, Hawk remained ensheathed within her and she refused to release him. The love, satisfaction, and tranquility that encompassed them were wondrously bonding. They kissed with tenderness and joy, and lightly caressed each other’s wet flesh.

  “You seize me like a wild wind, Maggie, and carry me away to places I’ve never even dreamed existed. I love you with all o
f my heart.”

  “I love you with all of my heart. From the first moment I saw you in Yuma, I knew you were the man for me, and I was right.”

  “So was I, because that same crazy thought crossed my mind.”

  “Crazy?” she teased and took a playful nibble at his chin.

  He chuckled as he gently tugged on a lock of her damp hair. “Sheer loco at that point in time, remember?”

  “Yes, but we couldn’t battle destiny; we were fated for each other as surely as the sun shines when it rises.”

  They kissed tenderly as they completed their baths, dried off, and went to bed to cuddle, deciding the tub and water could be removed tomorrow.

  The following morning, Hawk and Maggie sent messages to her boss and his superior. Those telegrams included reports on their successes, their decision to resign immediately and retire into ranching and the fact that they could soon be reached in Tucson.

  In Tucson days later, they found Newl Carver making a slow but steady recovery from his wounds. Despite the grim news about Ben’s guilt and death, Newl was in amazingly good spirits. His mood partly resulted from having Ben’s body arrive yesterday for a proper burial, thanks to Hawk, and the astonishing news that Catherine was pregnant with their child, a baby due in December. He said he accepted the bitter truth, and that he had been blinded by love for his son and his claims of innocence.

  “I don’t know where Ben went wrong, because I did my best to raise him right. Maybe I’ll do a better job with this child. I’m sure going to try.”

  “You can’t blame yourself, Newl,” Maggie consoled him. “Sometimes, for reasons we may never know, people go bad. Ben had an adventurous streak in him, so perhaps he got caught up in things beyond his control.”

  “That’s kind of you to say, Maggie, and I appreciate all you did for us. I’m glad you won’t be getting into trouble for helping us.”

  “I’m happy you aren’t angry with me because of the way I had to handle that matter with Hawk. I promise you, if we had discovered Ben was innocent, we would have found a way to protect him and clear him.”

  “I know you would. I’m also glad you won’t have to report my foolishness in hiring somebody to rescue Ben from prison. I’d hate to get into trouble and be forced to leave my sweet wife alone in her condition.”

  “Somehow, thanks to Hawk, everything worked out for the best.”

  “Yes, it did,” Newl replied, “and I’m most grateful to him. He’ll make a good husband for you, Maggie girl.”

  She beamed with love and joy as she concurred.

  Catherine straightened her husband’s bed covers as she told Maggie and Hawk, “Let’s retire to the parlor while Newl naps. We’ll talk with him again later after he’s awake and rested.” She stayed behind for a few minutes to kiss and speak with him before she joined her daughter and son-in-law in the sitting room.

  The three chatted for hours as they reminisced on past good times, relished their good fortunes, and Catherine and Hawk got better acquainted.

  Three days later as Maggie and Hawk were preparing to leave for Yuma to visit with Abby, astonishing news arrived of an attempted jailbreak in Tombstone that had resulted in the deaths of Pete and Slim during a bloody shootout. Hawk’s superior related in his telegram that the other culprits involved in the train robbery were still awaiting trial but their testimonies weren’t needed for convictions, sparing them of a return trip there. The friend of Newl’s in Sante Fe who had hidden and supplied Ben had been let off with a stern warning and a fine.

  But another surprising event had taken place during their visit. As Maggie helped Catherine pack Ben’s clothing and possessions to give to the needy, they found a map revealing the location of the money stolen from the Prescott bank. Hawk surmised that Ben had drawn it in the event his memory failed him before he could collect it. The map was sent to the sheriff in Prescott so. the money could be returned to the bank, proving Hawk’s daring plan had worked to perfection.

  As they boarded the train for Yuma, Maggie smiled and quipped, “It’s very kind of you, my wonderful husband, to take me to see my best friend. We won’t stay long because I know you’re eager to see your grandparents and the ranch; so am I. Matthew and the Mercers will be surprised to learn how Abby bravely assisted the authorities with a difficult case. You’re going to love her, Hawk, as much as I do; we’re so alike in many ways.”

  “Are you saying Matthew Lawrence has captured him a wild wind, too?” As Maggie laughed and nodded, Hawk added, “I wonder if she’ll be as easy and quick to tame as mine was.”

  “Am I tamed, my love?” she retorted with a playful grin.

  “Nope, and I hope you never change. I love you just the way you are.”

  “And I love you just the way you are, my beloved husband.”

  Epilogue

  In early September, Maggie stood at the ranch door and watched her husband dismount and tend Diablo after riding the range since noon to check out new fencing with his foreman. She saw the black mustang gallop toward Blaze as the roan headed in his direction; the two horses had made good friends. She watched Hawk cover the short distance between the barn and house and smiled when he sighted her.

  Maggie’s heart leapt with joy and desire, as it always did when she looked at him. She backed away a few steps to allow him to enter, then surrendered herself eagerly to his welcoming embrace and heady kiss.

  After their lips parted, Hawk looked into her softened blue gaze and radiant face. “How can you grow more beautiful every day, woman? You’ve turned me into a greedy and selfish critter who can’t get enough of you and doesn’t want to share you with anybody else.”

  “Not even the little bundle I’m expecting next year?” she jested as she tickled his ribs.

  “February is a long way off, so I still have you all to myself for months. But since that’s my son or daughter inside you, I’ll share you a little after he or she is born.”

  “If you wanted to keep me all to yourself, Hawk Reynolds, you shouldn’t have created this tiny intrusion while we were in Tombstone or Socorro. I was so distracted by our visits with Mother and Newl and then with Abby and Matthew that I didn’t realize Nature was telling me a secret. I wish I could have seen Abby’s face when she read that surprising news in my letter. I’m sure it would have matched the one she gave us when we arrived in Yuma with other astonishing news in late May.”

  “She did appear to be stunned for a while there.”

  “Wouldn’t you be shocked to learn you had not only not broken the law but had aided it? Matthew and her parents were just as amazed to learn what she had done to help us. I’m glad she didn’t have to worry about exposure any longer; I’m sure that was a strain on her.”

  “And it meant she didn’t have to keep any secrets from Matthew; at least, not much of one, since she discovered it was a good deed after the fact. Were you surprised when she decided to marry while we were there?”

  “Not much. After she witnessed how ecstatically happy we are, she wanted to experience that same feeling as soon as possible. Also, I doubt she could wait any longer to have Matthew all to herself. Remember, I told you we’re much alike; we both married in haste, are blissfully happy, and both live on ranches. By now, the way those two looked at each other all the time, I bet she’s pregnant, too. This is incredible: Mother and I both carrying babies at the same time, and perhaps Abby, too. I know Mother and Newl will be good parents, and news of their child helped Newl endure Ben’s loss so much better.”

  “Yep, and I’m glad he’s fully recovered from those wounds. He was lucky Berk didn’t kill him.”

  “That entire episode seems so long ago.”

  “It sure does, and I don’t want to ever face another one like that. I didn’t like having you confronting so many perils, woman, even with me there to protect you with my own life if necessary.”

  Maggie grasped Hawk’s hand and guided him toward the sofa in their sitting room. As she cuddled up to him, her gaze drifted
to the two pictures hanging over the mantel nearby: theirs and one of his parents. She fingered the locket around her neck and imagined how much James had loved Marie; and she, him. She wished she could have met Hawk’s parents, and wished Hawk could have known her father. Yet, if Jed Malone and his family had been alive, they would never have met.

  “What are you thinking about, my love? You’re so quiet.”

  “About how strangely fate works at times,” she replied, and explained her words. She tilted her head to look at him. “Do you ever miss being a marshal and traveling around the country having adventures and facing challenges?”

  “Nope. I have all the excitement and challenges I need right here at home. What about you? Do you miss being a legendary detective?”

  “Nope, I feel the same way you do. But I’m glad we got to visit with Howard when we went to St. Louis to fetch my possessions.”

  “Yep, but he was irritated with me for stealing his best agent.”

  “He was only delighted you were for real after he’d been duped.”

  “We did do a good job of tricking each other for a while,” he jested.

  “Yes, we did, but we had trouble keeping up our pretenses for very long. If you recall, you had me wedded and bedded in less than a month.”

  “I work fast and hard when I see something I want badly. I knew that the first time I heard your voice and saw your face in Wilcox.”

  “Ah, but you didn’t let me see and hear yours until Yuma.”

  Hawk chuckled in amusement. “I did cheat a little, didn’t I?”

  “Yes, you did, my sly and devilish husband.”

  As they kissed and caressed, passions flamed within and between them. Soon they felt as if they were trapped in a roaring blaze.

  Maggie leaned away and said in a near breathless state, “Don’t forget, your grandparents are coming for supper.”