Against Her Will

Chapter Fifty-Three

Chapter Fifty-Three

"Mommy! Daddy! I missed you!" Jackson exclaimed as he came barreling out of the house and flew down the porch to reach them.

"Oh we missed you too!" Temperance assured him as she scooped the excited four year old up into her arms and squeezed him tight.

Jackson wrapped his little arms around her neck and hugged her until she was gasping for breath before leaping into Tanner's waiting arms. "Did you bring me something?" he demanded with a grin.

"Jackson..." Temperance scolded halfheartedly. She had missed her son too terribly to get truly angry at him just yet.

"What?" Jackson shrugged innocently. "Daddy said you was going to bring me something."

"He said we were going to bring you something," Temperance amended.

Jackson sighed. "That's what I said!"

"And yes, cowboy, I brought you something. Your mommy and I brought you quite a few somethings," Tanner assured him as he sat him down on his feet.

"More than one?!" Jackson exclaimed, holding up one stubby, dirt covered finger.

"Yes, more than one. When did you have a bath last?" Temperance asked, wiping at some dirty on the back of his neck.

"He's alive, child, don't ask for much else," Wilma teased as she joined them at the edge of the porch.

Temperance hugged the woman tightly and Wilma patted her back. "I missed you, child. I trust you had a nice trip?"

Temperance glanced over at Tanner and smiled. Memories of their time at the homestead and their time on the train flashed through her mind. So many talks and laughs they had shared.... And Tanner had held her close every night on that tiny train bed.

He hadn't touched her in any matter that could be deemed inappropriate and yet he had awakened something in Temperance she had thought could never exist. A passion. A fiery passion. A passion that clouded her mind to everything else.

She wanted Tanner.

It was strange and wonderful all at once. Temperance had never thought she would want any man to have her body but she wanted to give herself to Tanner--and she knew that it would be soon.

Tanner was busy searching the back of the cart for the sack of Jackson's goodies and the boy was bouncing up and down like a jackrabbit as he did so. Temperance's heart warmed at the sight and she turned her gaze back to Wilma who was watching her with knowing eyes. "We had a nice trip, Wilma. A very nice trip."

***

Tanner had missed Temperance today... They'd been back on the plantation for nearly a week and she'd been kept busy nonstop with paperwork which had fallen behind in her absence.

It took a lot of time crunching numbers and making lists to raise and sell horses and crops--and Tanner had never had the knack for crunching numbers.

The entire plantation had been shocked when Temperance herself had conducted a meeting with a male client and his son who were interested in two of her colts. Temperance had never before met with clients but Tanner was damn proud of her and her strength to overcome her fears. It was clear that she wasn't letting those fears lead her around any longer.

He wished he would have gotten finished up in the south pasture sooner but those fences had been in desperate need of repair to prevent losing any cattle and it was well past dark by the time he returned to the plantation house.