Loving Ellie - #4 In Red Valley Series

Chapter 2

"Blake," she whispered. He said nothing, instead he walked toward her, stopping just short of their bodies touching.

She was afraid of him, he could see it in her eyes. "What in the hell are you doing here Ellie?" Blake asked between gritted teeth.

"I – I was on my way back home with my cousin Lydia." Every word she spoke brought her closer to a breakdown. She was NOT a weak person, but she could no longer stem the flow of tears that fell down her cheeks. Nor could she stop the sob that escaped her throat. She knew she was safe. Blake would never let anything happen to her, he never had.

Sighing, Blake wrapped his arms around her in a comforting embrace. He told her that he would keep her safe and get her and her cousin back home as quickly as he could. Just as he leaned down to kiss her on the top of her head, Ellie looked up to say something. As soon as their lips touched, electricity shot through him. He lifted his head then brought his mouth back down to hers. This time his tongue coaxed her lips apart allowing him entrance to the recesses of her mouth.

Ellie wrapped her arms around Blake, loving the way he made her feel so safe. He held her and told her that he would protect her and get her and Lydia home. She raised her head to ask him a question but when she looked up, his lips came down on hers in a soft kiss. It lasted only a second before he raised his head to look at her. He had the strangest expression on his face, she had no time to think about it because his mouth came back to hers.

His lips were soft as they coaxed hers apart, then his tongue slid into her mouth and began to swirl around hers igniting a hunger she had not known she possessed. She began to mimic his movements as her arms somehow found their way around his neck causing her breasts to press against his chest. She heard Blake groan then deepen the kiss. His calloused hands began to caress her body as they made their way to her rounded bottom. Blake flexed his fingers, lifting her up to be even closer. Ellie moaned softly, loving these strange new feelings. She had loved Blake her entire life, so she had no reservations.

The next thing she knew her arms were being ripped from around Blake's neck and she was falling. As soon as he removed her arms from around his neck, Blake turned toward the door giving Ellie nothing to grab on to. Her arms flailed as she reached for anything to catch herself calling out for him. She felt a sharp pain in the back of her head and then everything went dark.

Blake's head snapped around as soon as Ellie said his name, but it was too late to catch her. There was a sickening thud from her head hitting the wall and then she became deathly still. A second later he was by her side, calling her name, begging her to answer him. She continued to lay there, unmoving and pale. Blake quickly put his ear to her chest almost sagging with relief when he heard the steady beat of her heart.

His hands shook slightly as he unbuttoned several buttons of her blouse. He laid her gently on the bed and walked over to his bucket of drinking water. In seconds he had his bandana off and water poured in a cup. He soaked his bandana and began to wipe down her face and neck. It was then that he looked at her. She was truly beautiful even with the purplish smudges under her eyes from lack of sleep. Her long blonde hair had long ago escaped its pins, it now lay in waves around her, framing her face. Long dark lashes fanned out in stark contrast to her porcelain skin. His eyes moved to the C shaped scar on the right side of her face. It was still very visible after all these years, but it by no means took away from her beauty. Her lips were full and slightly swollen from his kiss.

How could he have done that? This was Ellie, his Ellie. He had known her almost her entire life, hell he'd always thought of her as his little sister! Just then she made a noise in her throat that sounded like a groan of pain. Blake gently lifted her in his arms, cradling her as he sat down on the bed and leaned against the rough plank wall.

Slowly Ellie began to become aware of her surroundings. Strong arms cradled her against a firmly muscled chest. A gentle hand stroked her hair as someone whispered in her ear. It sounded like Blake but that was impossible. The fog slowly began to clear and the memories of the last day and a half came rushing back to her. She began to struggle in an attempt to get out of Blake's lap. Pain shot through the back of her head to her left eye. Ellie groaned and grabbed her head in an attempt to stop the pounding.

"Stop! You're going to hurt yourself!"

"No, you did that when you pushed me!"

"I did not push you! I simply removed your arms from around my neck and turned around."

"Blake Weston, you pushed me and we both know it!" Ellie winced from the pain in her head then winced again when her slender fingers reached back gingerly feeling the lump on the back of her head.

"Do NOT call me by my full name or we'll all be dead! Do you understand me?" His tone was soft but there was no mistaking his meaning.

Ellie nodded completely understanding the seriousness of the situation they were in. "Where's Lydia? How could I have forgotten about her? Why are you robbing trains? And why in the hell are you riding with those, those outlaws? Does your Papa know about this?"

"It's a long story." Blake sighed, knowing she wouldn't stop until he told her everything. God, he really had missed her. "Lydia is with John in his cabin. He'll take care of her so don't worry." Ellie's eyes widened slightly but she didn't say anything. "John and I were asked to join Angel's gang and try to bring them down from the inside. They have become more daring and dangerous with each job they do. It's just a matter of time before they become like the James' gang. The Government wants people to continue to move out west but that's not going to happen if banks, trains, and people are constantly robbed."

"So they don't know you are a U.S. Marshall?"

"No, and we would like to keep it that way. We were only going to stay another couple of weeks, but now that you and Lydia are here, we'll have to leave as quickly as possible. Those men out there," Blake nodded toward the door, "won't wait more than a day or so before they try to come and get you."