Chapter Twenty-Three

Cricket songs and frog bellows filled the air as Samantha stood by the river, her bare feet enjoying the feel of the soft grass beneath them. A cool breeze blew through her loose curls as her gaze went to the fading purple of the twilight sky to the west. It had been a long day. They had worked until the sun had begun to set before finally sending the men back to town for the night.

With so many hands doing the job, a lot had gotten done. The hole had been dug and already much of the bigger debris had been loaded up and tossed inside. The ash they could salvage was being stored separately to spread over the garden plot before they turned the soil which would provide good fertilizer for the ground.

Tomorrow the men could easily finish the first part of their task and then the real work would begin. Building a house.

Samantha was pulled from her thoughts when Zachary's strong arms slid around her from behind and he rested his chin on her hair. "I got the fire going. Do you want to eat or get cleaned up first?"

While Samantha's stomach was growling, she was also filthy. The idea of getting clean proved stronger than her hunger. "I want to wash the soot off myself."

Zachary's mouth moved to her neck, his warm breath teasing as his teeth grazed across her tender skin. "If anybody is gonna be washing your body clean, it's me."

Her knees weakened. "That water will be cold," she warned.

He smiled against her neck. "I'll keep you warm."

"I'm sure you will."

Zachary's fingers went to the buttons on the front of her blouse and Samantha was trembling as he undid them swiftly and slid the fabric from her shoulders, kissing her pale, freckled skin as it became revealed to him.

"Zachary, I'm filthy," she warned, her breath catching in her throat when those calloused fingers grazed across her breasts through her chemise.

"You taste damn good to me," he growled, against her.

Samantha threw her head back and simply allowed him to devour her neck and shoulders—those work roughened hands cupping her breasts and teasing the hardened peaks of her nipples. A hungry moan left her throat when one of his hands dipped lower, sliding into her skirt. She knew he would be able to feal the heat of her though her underclothes as his fingers rubbed against the sensitive juncture between her thighs.

Turning her head, Samantha caught his lips with hers and lost herself in the taste of his kiss. Zachary undid her skirt and slid it and her underclothes to the ground. A breeze blew against her bare legs and Zachary pulled away and took a step back. Samantha turned as well so she could watch him as he slid off his weapons and tossed them into the grass.

Biting her lip, Samantha stepped out of her discarded clothes before grabbing the bottom hem of her chemise and lifting it over her head.

Zachary's gaze nearly burned her as his eyes raked across her body. Feeling emboldened by the want he so openly displayed for her, Samantha tossed her chemise at him before covering her breasts with her hands and running into the river. The water was cold but not shockingly so and she found the deepest part of the river which came to her hips and she hooked her finger, beckoning him to come to her.

Zachary did not hesitate. His clothes were shed in an instant and Samantha watched his lithe, powerful body as it moved through the moonlight. Her man was breathtaking.

Whatever chill had been in the water, seemed to vanish the moment Zachary's body found hers and he pulled her into him, his lips branding her own. Samantha let him have the dominance his mouth sought. Knowing the kind of pleasure this man could give her, Samantha was happy to submit. She was his completely.

When his hand found her aching core and his finger slid inside her, Samantha called out Zachary's name in the growing darkness. "You're fucking perfect," he whispered gruffly. His mouth trailed down her chest, found her breast, and sucked hard.

Her hips bucked, taking his finger deeper inside her. Samantha was already soaring into heaven as that band of pleasure built within her. He added a second finger with the first, thrusting in and out of her with a vengeance. The pad of his thumb found her pulsing clit causing her to lose all ability to speak and breathe as she simply rode his hand and he continued to devour her aching nipples.

Within moments that band of pleasure was snapping. Samantha's body shook as her release took her over. Every inch of her was overheated, liquid, and yet still wanting more—always more.

Zachary stood straight. A hungry moan left his lips as those dark eyes looked into hers. He grabbed her hips, lifted her in the air, and with the aftershocks of her first release still coursing through her trembling body, Zachary slipped her legs around his waist and slid his hard length inside her.

Samantha could do little more than cling to him as Zachary took her hard and fast. She pressed her lips to the column of his throat before nipping her way to his ear, loving the way he growled, gripped her backside tighter, and moaned her name.

"I can't get enough of you, Sam," he whispered against her ear.

"You can have as much of me as you want, Zachary," she assured him, feeling that pleasure building within her once again.

Zachary's hand came between him, he found her clit once more, taking it between him thumb and finger. Samantha felt a jolt in her blood and almost instantly she was once again sent tumbling over that edge.

Zachary's hands gripped her hips tightly and she felt his body stiffen just before he too found release and her name flew from his lips on a moan with a string of curses.

Slowly, they made their way back down to earth. Samantha had her head against Zachary's pounding heart and he kept his face buried in her thick red curls. The only sounds were the gentle crackling of the

fire, the soft rush of the river, and the serenading of the crickets and frogs. That cool breeze blew across her body once more and Samantha felt bumps cover her skin.

"The water is a little cold," she admitted quietly.

Zachary nodded as he slowly released his hold on her and put her on her feet in the river. The water made her hiss a bit as she wrapped her arms tight around herself. "I'll be right back," he whispered, his lips finding hers and kissing her gently.

Samantha watched him walk back up the bank. He grabbed his saddlebags and dug around in them, pulling out a bar of soap. After stoking up the fire, Zachary made his way back to her. Her heart swelled as he tipped her back and helped her wet her hair, before using that soap to cleanse every trace of ash and dirt from her skin. His every movement was tender and gentle and Samantha marveled at the complexity and contradiction that lived inside the man.

Once she was clean, Samantha took her time cleansing Zachary as well. He moaned as her fingertips danced across his heated skin. Samantha didn't miss the way he winced when she rubbed at his shoulder—the one with the bullet scar. She had seen him rolling and rubbing at it several times throughout the day and she knew he was in pain.

"It's fine, Sam," he assured her, recognizing the questioning look in her eyes.

"I don't like knowing you're in pain," she countered, laying her hand on his cheek.

That slow smile spread across his face, deepening his dimples. "What pain?" he questioned, before pressing a long, lazy kiss to her lips.

When another breeze blew against them and Samantha shivered, Zachary sighed. "Come on now, Sam. Let's get you by the fire where it's warm and I'll tend to your stomach."

He took her hand gently and led her up on the bank. Samantha frowned and bit her lip. "Zachary, I forgot my clean clothes in my saddlebags back at the barn."

"You won't hear any complaints from me," he vowed, those dark eyes caressing her body as she stood there in the glow of the fire.

Samantha felt her cheeks heat as she wrapped her arms around her chest to hide it. "Zachary....."

He chuckled. "I have a clean shirt and a clean pair of long johns in my saddlebags. You can wear them tonight and change into your clothes when we get back to the barn in the morning."

"Morning?"

"Yeah. I want to sleep under the stars tonight and I want to do it with you in my arms."

Samantha offered no argument. That sounded perfect to her. He grabbed the clothes from his saddlebags and pulled on a pair of pants before helping Samantha into his long johns and shirt. The long johns were far too long and pooled around her ankles and he had to tie a knot in the waist of them to keep them from falling down her legs. The shirt hung nearly to her knees and swallowed her hands so Zachary rolled the sleeves up a few inches. Samantha felt warm and comforted all wrapped up in Zachary's clothes this way.

"Won't you be cold?" she asked, laying her palm against his bare chest.

He laid his hand over hers. "With you laying against me? I don't think that'll be a problem."

Her growling stomach interrupted the romance of the moment and had Zachary chuckling.

They sat together under a blanket of stars and dined on their supper of jerked beef, cheese, biscuits, canned apples, and water. "Did you and Timothy find anything you wanted from the house?" Samantha asked. They had been so busy all day that she hadn't any time alone with Zachary to talk to him and she knew he wouldn't have wanted to speak about something so personal with any other ears around to hear him.

Zachary took a long drink of water as his gaze focused on the gently flowing river, glistening in the moonlight. "Yeah. I kept all the cast iron cookware you found—my mama loved them."

"What was in the small safe?"

"Some money and paperwork. There was a pocket watch of my pa's in there too and I gave it to Timothy. He seemed to like it."

Samantha smiled. She was happy to hear that the two men were mending and rebuilding the brotherhood they had once shared. Grief was hard on people, and while everyone handled their grief differently, the healing they could work on together.

"It's good that you and Timothy have each other," she acknowledged.

Zachary shook his head, his gaze finally moving away from the river and meeting hers. "I think it's good that Timothy and I have you. You're a light, Sam, and you make life just a bit brighter for everyone around you."

Samantha swallowed hard and blinked against the tears filling her eyes, but it was no use. She could not fight the emotion rising within her and those tears spilled over her lashes. Zachary reached a gentle hand out and wiped a tear from her cheek with his thumb.

Pushing himself to his feet, Zachary went to his saddlebags and pulled out a small drawstring patch from inside. "What's that?" she asked, using the sleeves of her borrowed shirt to clean her face.

Zachary reached out and took her hand, pulling Samantha to her feet. He pulled the pouch opened and dumped a necklace into his palm. "This.. uh.." His free hand rubbed at his neck as he seemed to struggle to find the words he wanted. "This was my mama's necklace."

Samantha took it from his outstretched hand and held it toward the firelight. The gold chain was constructed of delicate but strongly forged links that glittered in the glow of the fire. A heart shaped, vividly green emerald about the size of a nickle dangled from the chain, catching the light.

"Zachary this is beautiful!" Samantha gasped. She had been raised poor and never seen gem stones and gold necklaces unless they were behind store windows or beneath glass cases.

Zachary nodded and ran his knuckle down her cheek before tilting her head up so she was looking once again into those deep brown eyes of his that always seemed to captivate her. "My pa gave it to my mama when he asked her to marry him. She wore it nearly every single day for twenty-three years. It was her most cherished possession."

"I can see why. Your father sounds like he was the romantic type."

Zachary nodded. "He was. Mama laughed at him sometimes because she wasn't much for big gestures but when he'd do the small things, you could see the love she had for him."

Samantha thought that was one of the most beautiful things she had ever heard. Her own parents hadn't been loving with one another—her father had been too worried about his own wants and needs to waste much time showing affection to his family.

Samantha let her gaze drop once again to that breathtakingly beautiful emerald before holding the necklace back out to Zachary. "They were blessed. You should put this somewhere safe so nothing happens to it."

Concern filled her when she saw the way his hand shook as he took the necklace from her outstretched hand. Her gaze instantly went to his face to find that his jaw was tight and he his brow furrowed. "Sam, you told me once that you thought there was something special between us. Something special like what my parents shared. I think you're right. I've known it since..." he paused as if thinking. "Since the night I carried you out of that saloon. I was lost in a darkness so damn deep I never thought I'd see light again—and then there you were. You made me want to live again, Sam. Nothing I could ever give you or do for you could possibly repay what you've given to me. It won't always be easy. There may be days I seem distant. There may be times I have a hard time saying what I need to say. I'll be overprotective and probably hang on to you a little too tight sometimes. But I'll never hurt you. I'll never give you reason to doubt my love, my devotion, or my loyalty to you. If you'll let me, I'll spend the rest of my life being your safe place. Will you marry me, Sam?"

It was Samantha's turn to shake as she looked up into those dark eyes and saw the depth of his emotions shining out at her. How had this happened? It seemed surreal. Her life had been so hard for as long as she could remember. Every day she had been met with some kind of struggle just to survive. Then Zachary Marston had come into her life--throwing punches and rising up to protect her against anyone who dared do her harm. Zachary was her safe place. He was the man she loved. He was her forever. There was only one answer she could possibly give.

"Of course I will."

The smile that split Zachary's face was the largest Samantha had ever seen there, lighting up his eyes and deepening those dimples. He threw his arms around her and pulled her close, burying his face in her wet curls. Samantha held him right back, loving the steady sound of his heart beat beneath her ear.

"Would you like to wear this necklace, Sam?" He pulled away enough to look down at her. "I know it's not a ring but..."

Samantha rose on her toes and pressed a gentle kiss to his firm lips. "I would be proud to wear that necklace, Zach."

She turned and lifted her hair to allow him to drape the necklace around her neck. His fingertips danced across her skin, causing her to tremble. "I love you, Samantha," his voice whispered in her ear as his warm breath breezed across her.

Samantha had known he did—he made it obvious every moment that he was in love with her. But to hear Zachary say those words had new tears filling her eyes as she let her body lean into his and lost herself in the strength of his touch. Her fingertips traced the emerald laying against her chest. "I love you too, Zachary Marston. Forever."  

A/N: Some heat. Some sweetness. I hope y'all enjoyed the chapter!