Drum stood in the dining room, listening to all the family around him and feeling a part of none of it.
"You going to stand there all day, Drum?" Martha asked as she pulled off her apron, "Or are you going to walk me to my place by the pond?"
He smiled at the old housekeeper. The rest of the McMurrays might ignore him from time to time, but Martha always saw him. "I'd be honored” He offered his arm.
They walked in silence across the yard. Martha didn't care for most men, so he felt lucky she talked to him now and then. He didn't want to push his luck.
When they reached her place, he said. "I sure do like your ginger cookies, Martha.”
She grinned. "I know. That's why I make them.”
He pushed his luck. "I guess you know I'm crazy about Sage."
She laughed. "Everyone in Texas probably knows that." "You wouldn't happen to know where she is?"
"Nope," Martha answered, "but if I was looking, I'd start in the last room on the second floor, where the boys used to sleep years ago.” Martha turned and headed to her door, but he heard her add, "Not that I'd tell you, Drummond, even if you was to ask me.”
He stepped away, fighting the need to run. If he planned to see Sage at dusk, he'd better hurry.
Teagen noticed him when Drum crossed back into the house. "Join us in the study, Ronk,” he said friendly enough.
"No, thanks.” Drum picked up his hat as if that were the reason he'd come. "I think I'll check on my horse before turning in.”
Teagen laughed. "Enjoy the loft.”
"Thanks.” Drum almost added that the barn seemed to be his room on this place. He'd spent more than one night there. When Teagen turned to walk back into the study, Drum added, "She's my woman. You and your brothers better get used to that idea."
Teagen didn't turn around, but his back straightened. "Only if she comes willingly to you, Roak."
"I wouldn't have it any other way.”
Teagen didn't turn around, but Drum knew his face would be set. The McMurrays were just going to get used to the idea, Drum decided. If he had to, he'd fight all three of them, but they wouldn't stand between him and Sage.
He circled the house, flipped up on the mud room roof, and slipped into a second-floor window.
Moving swiftly through the hallway of the old part of the house, Drum found the last room on the second floor. He guessed Teagen would have insisted Sage stay there. It was small, made for one person, leaving the larger rooms for the couples.
They should have been a couple, he thought as he walked the darkened house he knew so well. They were a couple. Each day he spent with her was torture in heaven. He loved seeing her, watching her, touching her, but she hadn't come to him. If it killed him, he'd keep his word and wait until she came to his bed.
Every evening, after kissing her, he left and spent the rest of the night longing for her. When she'd moved to Boston, if what he'd felt for her hadn't been real, he would have moved on to someone else, but for him there was no one else. She was his. Or more accurately, he was hers.
He tapped on the last door. Only a few seconds passed before she opened, and the sight of her slammed against his heart like it always did.
"You shouldn't be here.” she whispered as she let him in. Giggling, she poked him in the chest with her finger. "You must have a death wish, Drummond.”
"Wrong” he answered as he pulled her into his arms. "This is exactly where I should be”
He kissed her with more hunger than he'd planned and was surprised when she answered in kind. If nothing else, his one rule had allowed her to react to him without hesitation. She didn't have to decide to kiss him. She was simply following rules they'd agreed on. He knew he was building a fire inside her, a fire he'd someday satisfy.
When he finally broke the kiss, she leaned into him, their breaths and heartbeats blending.
"I never thought I'd like doing that so much," she whispered. "I look forward to dusk just because you'll make my heart race."
"You've been kissed far too little in your life” he whispered and felt her sigh in agreement.
"I think you're right," she mumbled as she pulled him closer.
They were too busy to talk for a while, then she pulled her mouth from his. "It's not just any kiss," she whispered so close he could feel her words. "I think it's your kiss. There's a drug in it that makes me want more.”
He smiled, knowing exactly what she was asking for. He lifted her off the ground in his hug and captured her mouth. She liked it wild and deep. She liked the kiss to be so complete that they had to break to breathe.
When he lowered her, he moved his hand along her back, keeping her close. "Ride with me tonight?" he asked as he dug his fingers into her unbound hair. "The wind is from the north. Tomorrow it may be too cold, but tonight we could climb all the way up Whispering Mountain and see the stars."
She laughed, excited at the adventure. "If you'll have the horses saddled and at the mud room door. I'll be there in an hour."
He kissed her nose and slipped away, knowing that every second he stayed increased the danger he'd be caught. The McMurray men might be willing to welcome him at their table tomorrow as a guest, but he doubted the privileges included Sage's room.
An hour later, he watched her bolt from the back door and run to him. Neither said a word as they mounted and turned the horses toward Whispering Mountain.
When they were well away from the house, she laughed. "I feel just like a kid” With the bright moon and stars, they had no trouble seeing as they crossed the pastures and streams on the ranch. "There's a legend about Whispering Mountain, you know” she said as they moved into the trees.
He'd heard the legend, but he played along. "What legend?"
"My father believed he dreamed his future on the mountain one night right after he and my mother settled here." She looked at the hill before them that the Apache called a word that translated to Whispering Mountain. "He dreamed his death."
"How sad."
"No. I mean yes, it was sad, but because of that dream, he prepared the boys to hold the ranch. He knew my mother couldn't claim the land. Because of his dream, his sons were able to keep our land. I only wish I'd been old enough to help."
"It's a nice legend.”
"It's more than that. Each of the McMurray men have climbed the mountain and slept on the summit, but none of them talk about it” She smiled. "I think they don't want to admit that the legend is true, but all came down changed.”
He kicked Satan, and the horse shot into a full run. Drum shouted back, "Let's go find out”
At the base of the hills, they left their horses and began to climb. Sage felt like she was sixteen again, running wild on the huge ranch. All the worries of the world were forgotten. Drum offered her a hand when she needed it and pushed her when he thought they were moving too slowly. By the time they reached the summit, they were both breathing heavily and laughing.
He'd strapped a thick bedroll over his back when they'd left the horses, and now he spread it on the ground beneath the stars.
"Should we light a fire?" she asked, twirling around.
"I'll keep you warm” he said but he dug for his flint.
While he started the fire, she collected wood. The fire sparked and gave a low, warm glow to the clearing. While he lined the campfire with rocks, she walked the clearing, loving the magic of the night. Nothing in Boston could ever compare with the beauty of this place.
When she returned to the fire, he handed her a canteen as he pulled off his gun belt and sat down on the blanket.
Sage took one swallow and stopped. "Milk?"
"And cookies” He gave her a bag from his coat pocket. Sage laughed. "Drum, for an evening under the stars, most men would pack wine and cheese.”
He leaned back on his elbows. "I'm not most men, Sage, and cookies sounded better.”