Chapter Twenty-Two

Lucas finally made it to the cavern where Gail was waiting for him. Even though everything was alright now, he was still shaking. The situation had been incredibly delicate, what with Blaze needing to separate Bernadette from the outlaws, apprehend them, and get Zeke. He didn't know how a single person like Blaze could accomplish all of it, but, thankfully, he had.

Gail waited by the entrance as he slipped into their hideout. "How did it go? Is everyone alright?"

He nodded and brought her into his arms. "Everyone's fine. Blaze has everything under control."

He removed his hat and kissed her. She was perfect for him. She fit so nicely in his arms, and when their lips touched, it set his body on fire.

He tried to deepen the kiss, but she pulled away from him. "What happened? I could barely make out what was going on from here. How did you get Bernadette to safety?"

"Blaze did most of the work. All Zeke and I did was help him."

"So is she alright? The outlaws didn't hurt her?"

"No, thankfully, they didn't." He brought his mouth back to hers. He was trying to restrain himself, but the baser part of him was insisting he continue. He had been unable to consummate their marriage last night, and the unmet desire was quickly catching up to him now that everything was alright. He let his hands run down her back and then cup her rear end. On instinct, he pulled her closer to him.

She turned her head to force the kiss to end. "Aren't the others waiting for us?" Her gaze went to the opening of the cavern.

"They're all the way over there." He nodded in the direction he had left them. "No one will see us."

He made an attempt to renew their kissing, but she shook her head and moved away from him and chuckled. "We can't do this right now, Lucas. We have to get to the group. We'll have to wait until we're at a hotel." She went to their belongings and picked up her things. "I'm sure Bernadette is anxious to get to the hotel so she can take a bath. I know I am, and I didn't spend as much time out here in this wild territory as she did."

Unwilling to give up this opportunity so easily, he gave her a smile that often made her blush during their courtship. "It doesn't have to take long." He took her hand in his and squeezed it. "I'll just pick up where we left off last night before that scorpion tried to attack us. I'm sure that will speed things up."

"We haven't done it yet, so we have no idea how long it takes."

"I'm pretty sure it won't be long." As it was, he was ready to burst. "Five minutes. Ten at the most."

"I don't want to rush it like that. We'll just have to wait. We can't keep poor Bernadette waiting." She shook her head. "I'm surprised at you, Lucas. You didn't do this our first night here."

Yes, and he was quickly regretting that decision. It was hard to believe he had been that stupid. All last night, he'd been tormented by the memory of her kisses and those lovely breasts. Had Blaze not been nearby, he would have made another attempt to consummate their marriage, whether there was a scorpion around or not. But because Blaze had been close to them, all he could do was hold her, and holding her wasn't doing anything to satisfy him. Even now, he was uncomfortably hard.

He didn't know what expression flickered across his face, but it made her wince. "I'm sorry, Lucas. I don't mean to be contrary. I just want to make sure we get back to the group so we can be done with all of this. We'll all rest easier after those outlaws are behind bars and Bernadette and Blaze are married."

"You're going to make me wait until after Bernadette marries Blaze?" he shrieked.

"No, of course not. I assume they'll get married in Hardyville or maybe even in Flagstaff. I'm not sure what the plan is, but one thing we need to do is make sure the outlaws are taken care of. After that, we can find a hotel, have a good meal, and take a hot, relaxing bath. Then we'll be in the mood to finish what we started last night."

His eyes widened. She had to go through all of that to get in the mood to consummate their marriage? She offered him an apologetic smile then gave him the most puritanical kiss on the lips a wife ever gave her husband. He couldn't think of anything less exciting than that.

"I hope you secretly harbor more passion for me than that," he said as he collected his and Blaze's things.

"I do. It's just now is not a good time to act on my feelings."

Well, that made him feel better. Not much better. But better, nonetheless. He took a deep breath to cool his ardor. The tension in his loins eased. The situation wasn't perfect. He was still uncomfortable, but at least it was manageable. "We better not have to wait all the way to Flagstaff to get to a hotel," he mumbled. "I can only be a gentleman for so long."

He didn't think she heard him until she glanced back at him in surprise. Heat crept up his face. He shouldn't have said that out loud.

"You won't have to wait until we get to Flagstaff. I'm sure we'll find a hotel tonight, and when we do, we'll be together," she assured him, her tone letting him know she was flattered he desired her so much.

Deciding to do something else to let her know he desired her, he gave her behind a playful pat. "You better get out of here before I throw you on the ground and have my way with you."

She laughed and hurried out of the cavern.

Grinning, he followed her.

***

As the sky darkened, the group arrived at a town with a jailhouse. Gail was relieved, and that relief had nothing to do with wanting a bath and a nice, soft bed to sleep in. Nor did it stem from the excitement over being with Lucas who had been giving her heated glances throughout the day. She was relieved because she was tired of listening to Blaze and Zeke bicker. Alright, maybe they weren't exactly bickering. She'd heard women in her social circle do worse back in Pennsylvania. But those two had different opinions on just about everything, and they weren't shy about letting the other know about it. If she thought they would stop when they got to the jailhouse, she was wrong, for they were still at it while they were explaining how they apprehended the outlaws.

"I wasn't tied up and waiting for someone to save me," Zeke was saying as the five were seated in front of the sheriff. "I was this close to getting myself free of the ropes." Zeke put his first finger and thumb within half an inch of each other to demonstrate how close he'd been. "This close," he emphasized. "Yes, Bernadette did the rest, but I was almost there. I almost had her out of the cave when Blaze showed up."

"I'm not saying you weren't about to get her out of the cave," Blaze argued. "I'm only saying that when I got there, you two were still there."

"The way you explained things gave Sheriff Thompson the impression that I was just waiting for you to show up."

"No, it doesn't. The sheriff understands that. All I'm doing is explaining the sequence of events."

"Then you need to include the part where I was no longer bound by the ropes. I stood up right in front of you. Surely, you remember that part."

"There was a lot going on."

Gail inwardly groaned and glanced over at Lucas, who sat to her left. The two made eye contact, and he shrugged in a way that let her know he hadn't seen any of this, so he had nothing to contribute to the debate. Gail looked at Bernadette, who was sitting on her other side. Bernadette's head was drooping low, and her eyes were closed. Her even, steady breathing let Gail know the poor thing had fallen asleep.

"Sheriff," Lucas spoke up, "while I was outside with Squiggy, Zeke brought my sister out of the cave. Blaze stayed in the cave to take care of Bower and Big Mike."

Zeke gave a pointed nod at the sheriff. "Right. I rescued her just like I promised I would when I left Flagstaff. I want that marked on the books so others will see it."

"I will mark it down," the sheriff promised.

Zeke smiled.

"I'll also mark down Blaze's and Lucas' roles in helping with the rescue," the sheriff continued.

Zeke frowned.

"What happened after Bernadette made it out of the cave?" the sheriff asked. "Did you ever find Cooper?"

"Unfortunately, no, we never found him," Blaze replied. "But I did stop Bower and Big Mike from going after Bernadette."

"And I went in to help once I was sure Bernadette was alright," Zeke inserted. "I had to make sure she was emotionally and physically able to be left with her brother. Her brother hasn't been trained to deal with people who've been kidnapped. It's a delicate situation, especially when the victim is a woman."

Gail arched an eyebrow. She hadn't been there to see the events unfold, but she suspected Zeke was, once again, embellishing things to make himself look good.

"We ended up binding Bower and Big Mike, and we brought them here with Squiggy," Blaze said.

"Yes, despite the fact that Blaze was never trained to be a deputy or a sheriff, he did a pretty good job of handling things," Zeke added.

"I've been through more than you realize," Blaze told him.

"But you aren't a deputy or a sheriff."

"I don't see what being a deputy or a sheriff has to do with anything. The important thing is that Bower, Big Mike, and Squiggy are no longer going to cause trouble around here."

Eager to have this thing over, Gail leaned forward. "That is the important thing, isn't it, Sheriff?"

The sheriff's gaze went to her. "I would like to know how Bower and Big Mike were subdued. Those two know their way with a gun."

"They were sleeping when Blaze went after them," Zeke said. "They didn't have time to use their guns."

"They woke up before you ran Bernadette out of the cave," Blaze replied. "And Bower and Big Mike did have their guns drawn."

"But I got her out of there before a single shot was fired," Zeke argued.

"That's not true. Big Mike tried to shoot Bernadette."

"That's right, "Zeke admitted. Then his face lit up. "But I got her out of harm's way before the bullet reached her."

The sheriff's attention went to Lucas. "What did you notice?"

Lucas shifted in his seat. "I did hear a gunshot or two go off in the cave before Zeke brought Bernadette outside. Then Blaze fought Bower and Big Mike inside the cave. Eventually, Zeke did go in to help. After Bower and Big Mike were unconscious, Blaze and Zeke tied them up."

"It wasn't ‘eventually'," Zeke protested. "I went in as soon as I could. Like I said, I had to make sure Bernadette was alright."

Lucas sighed. "I can't add anything else to this conversation, Sheriff. I told you everything I know. My wife and my sister can't add anything, either. I understand you keeping Blaze and Zeke here, but can the rest of us go? It's late, and we're tired."

The sheriff shot them a sympathetic look. "You three may go."

What a relief. Gail was afraid they might have to stay here all night. She nudged Bernadette awake and helped her to her feet. Thankfully, Blaze would be her brother-in-law instead of Zeke. She didn't know what she'd do if Lucas had arranged for his sister to marry someone like Zeke. Spending the day with Blaze and Zeke, she had learned that Blaze was far more reasonable than the deputy. Plus, Blaze didn't put on a pretense of being some great hero. Zeke might want the world to think he was a hero, but he wasn't one—and he never would be. Grateful to put the whole kidnapping incident behind them, Gail assisted Lucas as they helped a sleepy Bernadette to a hotel.