Small Treasures by Kathleen Kane (Maureen Child) Page A

no right to.
    After another deep breath Samuel said quietly, "I'm fixin' to build you a sleepin' room, Abby."
    Her breath caught. She bit down on her bottom lip before a tiny smile curved her mouth.
    "Oh, Samuel. How thoughtful of you!"
    "Yeah, well… "He mumbled something incoherent and stared off into the surrounding pines. Thoughtful! Huh! Whatever gods had done this to him must be havin' a helluva laugh, he thought with disgust.
    The morning air held a chill that warned of the quickly approaching winter, and Samuel knew that snow could arrive that high up mighty early. If he was going to do this, he'd better get at it, he told himself testily.
    "I best get goin'," he said under his breath and walked past Abby toward the barn.
    Less than an hour later he stood awkwardly beside the wagon and looked down at Abby. "I should be back by day after tomorrow. You, uh, you bolt the door at night, Abby." He rubbed his bearded jaw. Despite the need to be away by himself for a while, he suddenly felt bad about leavin' her alone. "Nothin'll happen most likely," he added, "but why take chances?"
    She nodded.
    "And stay the hell away from the animals." He tried to glare at her in warning, but those eyes of hers kept on shinin' at him. "I fed 'em good this morning. They'll be fine till I get back."
    "All right, Samuel."
    She just stood there, lookin' up at him, and Samuel felt his insides go all which ways. God help him, if he didn't find some peace soon, he'd never last out the six weeks until the judge got to Rock Creek. Why in hell did she have to be so beautiful? He shifted slightly, and Abby leaned closer.
    "What is it, Abby?" He ground his teeth together in frustration. She smelled of coffee and bacon and a touch of vanilla. The morning sun danced in her hair, and she was so close he could count the few freckles across her nose.
    Nothing," she said softly, her eyes never leaving his. "I just thought…" Her gaze lowered slightly.
    "Thought what?" His voice sounded rough even to himself. She looked up again, and he was lost in the golden splendor of her eyes.
    "I thought you were going to… "
    "What?" he forced out.
    "Kiss me." The words came out softly on a sigh as she leaned closer to him.
    God! The fire in his blood that he'd worked so hard to tamp down now flared up again and raged through him. She wanted him to kiss her? His chest heaved. He was sure his heart had stopped. His palms itched to hold her, his gaze locked on her mouth, he could almost taste her already. But did he dare?
    Would he be able to stop with one kiss? Then he realized that it didn't matter. Nothing mattered beyond the miracle that Abby wanted his kiss.
    Slowly, carefully, he bent lower. His eyes wide open, he saw hers close just before their lips met. Samuel's mouth touched hers gingerly, and he felt an unfamiliar weakness wash over him at the unbelievable softness of her.
    Though his body yearned to grab her and hold her close, he kept his arms at his side and began to pull away after that briefest of kisses.
    Then Abby's eyes opened, and she looked deeply into his. Incredibly, he saw desire there. Desire for him. A soft smile curved her lips as she raised her arms to encircle his neck. Of their own accord, it seemed, Samuel's strong arms wrapped around her and lifted her slight weight from the ground.
    He felt her hands smooth away his too long hair, and then he dipped his head to hers and claimed her mouth with a kiss he'd been dreaming of since the first time he'd seen her.
    The soft warmth of her filled him, and he groaned when she parted her lips for him. His tongue swept inside and caressed hers. His body tightened reflexively as Abby's open palms against his back held him closer, tighter. A soft moan came from her throat just before her tongue moved to stroke the inside of his mouth.
    Samuel's heart pounded in his ears, and he pulled away slightly to gasp for the breath he was almost willing to do without. He saw her mouth, swollen from his kiss,