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Zac switched the reins to his left hand and patted her knee with his right. "I plan on showing you a lot, honey."
She slipped her arm through his and leaned close. "Promise, Zac?" she asked in such a breathless whisper that it made him shiver.
He cursed his instant reaction. "Promise and then some."
They rode for a ways in silence, Zac lost to his thoughts and Prudence caught by the beauty of the land around her. The farther they traveled from the fort, the denser the patches of trees became in their majestic beauty. Prudence was awed by the startling blue of the sky and the puffs of huge white clouds that floated effortlessly across it. The air even smelled different. It was fresh and clean and heavy with the scent of pine.
She realized that she had fallen in love twice. The first time was with Zac Stewart. The second was with this land. She wished she never had to return to Boston and its stuffy confines. She wanted to stay here and carve out a life with her husband, raise children, watch his ranch grow, and watch their love grow.
But love hadn't entered the picture, and so her dreams were for nothing. She had to live for today and enjoy. Enjoy as much as possible before it all came to a rapid end.
Zac stopped to let her stretch and fetch some food for them to eat on the way, while he tended to the horses.
They munched on fried chicken, the best Prudence had ever tasted, as they continued on.
"Would it upset you overly much if we spoke about your mother?" he asked through bites.
Prudence had to swallow before answering, but her head was already shaking in response. "No, I'd like to speak of her."
"You mentioned that Old Bill knew your mother."
"That's right. It was her talent as a cook that Sadie, Granny Hayes, and Old Bill recalled about her. That was her one quality that stood out and made her memorable."
"I don't know about your cooking, but you've got memorable eyes."
"I have memorable eyes?" Prudence asked, about to bite into her buttermilk biscuit but stopping.
Zac nodded, snatching the biscuit from her hand."At first I didn't notice them. I think it was all that foggy air in Boston."
Prudence playfully slapped his arm. "The only foggy air in Boston is near the harbor. An area I don't happen to frequent."
"Then it must have been your corset being strung too tight."
"I don't wear a corset," she said smugly.
"Then that explains it." He laughed and bit into the biscuit.
"Zac, swallow that and tell me what you mean," she ordered.
Zac obliged with a swallow. "Your stiff posture dulled your eyes."
"I am not stiff," she said defensively.
"No, and I thank God you're not and I thank God I am." He laughed again.
It took Prudence a moment to decipher his reference. Upon doing so, she brazenly slipped her hand over his crotch. "Not stiff enough," she declared.
He laughed even harder. "Honey, keep that up and you'll be touching solid rock."
She looked at him then and he caught the mercurial passion in her eyes. He took her hand and moved it off him, replacing it in her lap with a pat. "I think we better finish the discussion about your mother." It was a safer subject, especially since his desire was raw and ready, and if he took her now, it would be fast and furious in the bushes. He was certain she was too tender at the moment for such rough play.
Prudence calmed her racing heart with several deep breaths, but the uneasiness between her legs remained uncontrollable. She would simply have to suffer through it. "I really would like to find her, but she seems always to have managed to leave a place without anyone's noticing. It was as though she thought someone was following her, or she wanted to prevent someone from finding her."
"That would make sense, although one thing doesn't."
Prudence was anxious to hear anything she might have overlooked. "What's that?"
"Her ability to survive out here. It's almost as though she was familiar with the area. Where did she come from originally?"
"I think my father met her on a business trip to Philadelphia, but I don't recall if that is her place of birth. I don't remember her ever speaking of her birthplace or Father mentioning it."
"Well, perhaps she's as adaptable as you?"
"Perhaps," she said, puzzled. "But when she left Fort Sully, where could she have gone?"
"Wilderness surrounds the place." He shrugged. "Unless she took the steamboat, then her destination could have been anywhere."
"Do you think my quest hopeless?"
"No. I think it is important you find her. When you do, I think you'll have your answers."
Her answers. Would they hurt or would they help? Prudence remained silent for a while, lost in her thoughts until she realized she was building new memories. And she wanted many to take back to Boston with her.
