Free Heart of Mine (Bandit Creek) by Michelle Beattie Page A

arms.
    "I'll get the parcels from the wagon, give you some privacy."
    She tried to duck past him but Jake wouldn't have it. He took her arm, waited until she looked him in the eye. Damned if he didn't smile at her pink cheeks. "I don't remember our being together, Laura, but I'm fixing to change that. Soon."
    Her eyes widened. "I'd--" She swallowed. "I'd never refuse you, Jake."
    He may as well have been doused with the frigid water from Bandit Creek. Maybe she wouldn't turn him away, but he didn't want her to endure lovemaking, he wanted her to enjoy it. Since she'd no doubt been a virgin before he'd taken her to bed, he couldn't help but think he'd done something wrong. She'd said at the time that he hadn't hurt her, and he knew he hadn't. He'd never hurt a woman before, he trusted himself to know that, even falling-down drunk, he wouldn't have hurt Laura. Which meant he mustn't have looked after her needs. It was the only explanation for her reaction. He'd been a selfish lover and she hadn't enjoyed it.
    Well, he thought with firm resolve, he'd always ensured the women he'd bedded had been well satisfied. It was time he gave his wife the same consideration.
    ***
    Laura couldn't sit still. She'd busied herself in the house putting away the purchases Jake had given her. She'd baked pies, made a big meal and tidied up. After supper she'd shown Jake her hiding spot for the money, in a vase on top of the mantle. She wanted him to be able to monitor how she spent his money. Despite his reassurances that it was her money and she could do with it as she wished, Laura needed Jake to know she wouldn't be spending his money willy-nilly.
    When Jake went out to do his evening chores, Laura had gone as well to tend to Ben. She'd brushed him, fed him, cleaned his stall. They'd decided to leave him in the barn for the night. Tomorrow they'd put him in the pen with the rest of Jake's geldings. Now, sitting before the fire with Jake, coffee in hand, Laura couldn't stop twitching. She tapped her foot, changed positions every few minutes. Every part of her body was tense and because of it she couldn't stop fidgeting.
    Having Jake watch her with those turbulent coffee-colored eyes didn't help. She knew he was thinking of their kiss earlier and what it would have led to if they hadn't been interrupted. Laura was thinking the same thing. In fact, she'd been unable to think of anything else since it happened. Which was why she was in the predicament she was in; wanting to go to Jake, to finish what they'd begun and yet deathly afraid they'd do just that. Because if they did, he'd realize they'd never been intimate.
    He'd be furious. After how far they'd come, finally talking and enjoying each other's company, finally kissing, the thought of having that cold anger between them again scared Laura. Of course she couldn't, and wouldn't, refuse Jake forever. If only she could think of a way to explain that wouldn’t ruin their budding relationship, wouldn't result in Jake hating her.
    "What's on your mind?"
    In the quiet of the house his voice was especially sensual. It slid over her skin like silk and tightened every muscle in her body. Looking at his mouth, Laura yearned to taste it again. To feel the pressure of his lips on hers. Her stomach leapt and she pressed a hand to it.
    "Nothing. It's just all the excitement of the day."
    Jake let his gaze slide lazily over her. The anticipation of doing the same with his hands had his blood simmering in his veins. "Day's not over yet," he said.
    Laura's hand jerked, almost spilling her coffee. She set the mostly full cup on the floor next to her chair. If they hadn't been interrupted earlier Jake would have made love to her. There wasn't a doubt in his mind. Yet the idea of them together made her jumpier than a virgin on her wedding night. Why? He knew it had nothing to do with walking away from her father. Was it the gifts, then?
    "Laura, I didn't get you those things today to try to buy my way into your