Page 30 of The Gold Rush Bride

He threw his head back and laughed. Then he leaned forward. “I’m the only man you’ve ever known, so I’d have to be the mostwell-formed.”

She giggled and then laughed along with him. “I guess thatwasa pretty ridiculous thing to say.”

He stopped laughing and gazed into her eyes. “I’m glad you find me pleasing to look at.” He leaned down and kissed her, their mouths melding and becoming as if they were one.

She was tentative to begin with. Then she relaxed into the kiss, wrapped her arms around his neck and brought him closer to her. He was almost lying upon her but took most of his weight on his arms, even as he lay more fully upon her.

And then he loved her, leaving her panting and feeling drugged by his lovemaking. She was relaxed and more content than she’d ever felt before. She cuddled into his side and lay her hand across his massive chest. “What time are you leaving in the morning?”

“At sunup.”

“Wake me and I’ll fix your breakfast.”

“It’s not necessary. I have some hardtack and jerky from our last trip to Dawson City. Those will do me until I get home. But I warn you, I’ll be hungry when I return.”

“Any idea what time that will be?” She ran her fingers through the hair on his chest. The silky strands tried to trap her fingers.

“That depends on how lucky I am. I’ll be aiming for deer. A nice-sized doe would be perfect. I could field dress it and carry it home. If I get an elk, it will take me about four trips to get it all back here, and that’s assuming the animals don’t take it all first.”

“Is that likely?”

He shrugged and covered her hand with one of his. “The bears are awake and looking for any free meal, building fat for their next hibernation. The mountain lions will take what they can, then wolf packs will want their share. How close I am to camp will determine whether I go back for the rest of the animal or not. If it’s an elk, I’ll butcher it in place and carry as much of the meat, not the bone, as I can in my backpack.”

“So the likelihood of you returning to the animal is not high.”

“Unfortunately, that’s correct.”

She sighed. “That’s too bad. But at least the meat doesn’t go to waste.”

“Yes, it will get eaten. Not much goes to waste in this wilderness.”

“You should get some rest. Morning will be here before we know it.”

He pulled her up his body. “Mmhm.” He kissed her.

Sadie felt herself being enthralled by him, and when he turned her to her back, and she let him.

“Say no now if you don’t want this as much as I do.”

“Yes.”

He groaned, and then he made sweet, passionate love to her.

When morning came, Sadie didn’t feel like she’d slept at all. Barnaby had made love to her twice more in the night. She might be tired now, but last night he’d invigorated her. She had gone and fallen in love with her husband. But that was impossible. How could she love a man who didn’t want children?

CHAPTER8

Sadie watched Barnaby head out for his hunt with her new rifle and wearing an empty backpack. If he got an animal, a lot of work would need to be done to prepare it for storage. They would have to smoke it or dry it or something. They couldn’t eat that much fresh meat. Could they? Barnaby had an enormous appetite that their meals could never fill, even though she tried to make extra.

She couldn’t dwell on what Barnaby’s hunting trip would bring. She had gold to discover. Despite the warm late June weather, she dressed in the same clothes, including her long johns, wool pants, shirt and last but not least, her pistol. Since she would be in the river, she wanted to be warm and to keep as clean as possible. Panning for gold was dirty work. Even though she and Barnaby both washed every day, she looked forward to their now once a month trip to Dawson City and a decent bath. Now that they were truly married, she wasn’t so shy around him.

Barnaby had been gone most of the day. Despite it being past lunchtime, she had skipped the meal since she wasn’t hungry and opted to continue working.

Sadie kept her head down, searching for the elusive shiny gold nuggets and flakes. She’d found a big nugget...almost the size of her thumb. It would more than pay for their night at Kitty’s and then some, assuming they didn’t use her cash. Out of nowhere, she heard a harsh voice from behind her.

“Well, if it isn’t Sadie Drake and here all alone, too.”

She dropped her pan and turned with her hand on her pistol. Homer Grimes stood on the bank. His hair was dirtier than the last time she saw him, if that was possible. He had a pistol in his right hand, aimed at her.