Chapter 4

Pauline struggled to clear the fog from her head when Mary Anne shook her awake at the pre-dawn hour.  Sleep eluded her for most of the night.  Images of Aiden Kennedy haunted her. Her body was hot with desire before she succeeded in pushing him far enough out of her head for sleep to take over. She had no idea how much sleep she got, but she knew it wasn’t much. 

The temptation to roll over and stay in bed was great, but she knew that, once she was up and maneuvering through the day, she’d regret not taking time to be alone at her favorite thinking spot.

She kept a special outfit set aside for whenever she would sneak out during the wee hours of the morning. Since it consisted of men’s attire, she had to wear it during a time that she knew she wouldn’t be seen by her parents - or anyone else, for that matter.  Pants and lack of a corset made for a much more comfortable fishing experience.

As she donned her coat and accepted the hat Mary Anne offered her to place over the braided knot on the crown of her head, she smiled. It was a good idea to go to the creek.  She was feeling better already.

The morning air was cool and moist as she slipped down the servant’s stairs and out the back door.  One of her father’s hunting hounds made ready to howl. It was short lived when she reached into the sack the cook, Bess, gave her as she’d passed through the kitchen and tossed the dogs some scrap meat. It was a regular ritual that she performed every time she slipped out in the early morning. 

She was grateful for the cooperation of select members of the household staff.  She questioned if she could pull it off without them. On days when she was lucky enough to catch fish, she would give it to them to prepare a special meal for themselves or take to family members in need.  Her parents were none the wiser.

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Aiden was restless.  His sleep was interrupted with thoughts of Pauline.  He couldn’t get her off his mind.  Her kissable lips and smooth, silken skin haunted him to the point he woke up in a heated sweat.  He needed to do something to take his mind off her.

His tortuous response to her beauty made him question whether he should just admit to his identity and take her to the nearest chapel.  He doubted Dennis O’Malley would object.  The thought of having to travel with her and be near her without being able to touch her was pure agony. 

He needed to think.

The sun was barely peaking over the horizon when he entered the lobby and asked if the restaurant was opened.  The desk clerk assured him that it would be open within an hour.  In the meantime, there was fresh coffee and biscuits on a table against the far wall of the lobby that he was welcome to help himself to.

The idea of serving himself coffee in a hotel lobby was new to Aiden. It wasn’t something that had reached southwest Texas.  He liked it and made a mental note to suggest it to the proprietors of the hotels he frequented when he traveled for business back home.

The coffee helped to clear his head, but not ease his restlessness.  He decided to go riding.  He imagined the streets would be quite empty at that hour, which suited him just fine.  He preferred the wide-open spaces of his cattle ranch.  Crowded cities made him feel claustrophobic.

He knew the wharf would be bustling with ships loading and unloading their wares as they worked to beat the heat of the day, so he headed out of town.  With his thoughts still consumed with Pauline, it took a while before he realized that he was on the border of her plantation.  The temptation to see her again was too great. He decided to cut across the field toward the house.  If it looked like the house was alive, he’d think of an excuse to give them as to why he’d arrived so early in the morning and unannounced.

When he came across a creek, he spotted the slight form of a young man standing in the middle of the flowing water with a fishpole in hand.  Suspicion mounted when the boy saw him and started to run.  He was obviously poaching fish off the O’Malley’s land. Aiden nudged his horse into the water and made chase. 

His horse came upon the young man swiftly.  Aiden grabbed him by his collar and he fell onto his backside into the water.  Without hesitation, Aiden leapt off his horse and reached for the lad.  The boy rolled away, got to his feet, and plowed toward shore with determination.  Since his legs were far longer than the scrawny boy’s, Aiden was upon him in no time. The boy turned and kicked him in his groin. He doubled over in pain and loosened his grip for a brief second.  It was long enough for the boy to break free from his grasp and reach the bank.

Furious, Aiden waded to the bank with the power of an angry bull.  The boy was half-way up the small incline that led to the open field when Aiden pitched his body upon him.  They crashed to the ground.

It took a moment for Pauline to recover enough from the impact and struggle to be free from his heavy bulk. She’d lost her hat and her long braid stretched out onto the embankment like a thick hemp rope. Aiden was too close to see her face, but he could clearly feel her soft mounds that were left unprotected by the usual female undergarments.  He froze, with his hands still on her breasts, while the fact that the poacher was a girl registered.

“You’re crushing me,” she gasped as she struggled to breathe. 

“Why are you poaching on these good people’s land and why are you dressed as a boy?” Aiden demanded.

Pauline was tempted to point out that Aiden’s strong hands were still on her breast, but the truth of the matter was that she liked having him touch her, so she kept quiet while she waited to see what he’d do.

He removed his hands from her breasts and positioned them on either side of her so that he could lift himself away from her far enough to allow her to breath and for him to see her face.

“Pauline?” he gasped.

 “Guilty,” she said with a coy smile and a quick batting of her eyelids.

“I don’t understand,” he continued.  “Why are you dressed like this?”

“It’s safer at this hour to look like a boy and far more comfortable,” she replied as she adjusted her body beneath his. 

Whether he was aware of the fact that he was still lying atop of her or not, he didn’t move when she wiggled and squiggled her hips beneath him in an effort to get more comfortable.  Instead, he continued to stare in disbelief.

When he was finally able to speak, he said, “A beautiful socialite who likes to fish in the dawning light.  I never would have thought it.”

Pauline’s mind worked double time as the scheme of a lifetime formed. If she could get the handsome Aiden Kennedy to compromise her virtue, he’d be forced to marry her and she’d be free of the Texas toad. She liked the way he made her feel whenever he was near.  She could imagine a life with such a handsome man as being quite tolerable.  Since he came from money, her parents would eventually move past the loss of their union with the Bar K&J Ranch.

The problem was that he seemed to be shocked into immobilization. 

Since she had limited experience with men, she wasn’t certain what she should do.  The only experience she could boast was that she could kiss.  Thanks to Theodore Ogden, she became a good kisser over the past few months.  She thought he was going to take things to the next step, but he disappeared like the coward he was when her father announced that she was promised to Angus McCann in marriage.  Since kissing was the only thing she knew to do, she pulled his head to hers and pressed her lips against his.

 At first, he was resistant, but he soon took control. Pauline moaned with delight at the deliciousness of Aiden’s expert kisses.  They far exceeded Theodore’s boyish attempts.  She wiggled her hips beneath him again. This time, it was in reaction to his kisses instead of seeking a more comfortable position.

Her body filled with fiery desire as his lips continued to consume her.  His hands returned to her breasts and kneaded them gently.  Her head spun, and she lost touch with reality, which was why she had no idea how he’d managed to free her breasts from the fabric that covered them.  The cool morning air was tantalizing and refreshing on her pert nipples.

She moaned again as his lips left hers and found a breast.  The sensation of his suckling sent an erotic urgency through her.  Never in her wildest dreams could she have imagined being with a man could be this good.  She wanted more.  She had to have more.

Pauline smiled with delight as she realized that she was going to enjoy being compromised by the strong and handsome gun slinger.  The more his hands and lips explored her body, the more she came to believe that marriage to him would be very satisfying