They reached Independence late that evening, just as Liam had predicted. It took another half hour to secure the boat to the dock before they were finally able to disembark from the ship. Selena made a point of seeking out the Captain before they left. She found him overseeing his crewmen, and she approached timidly from behind.
"Captain Harris," she smiled when he turned toward her, "I just wanted to thank you for everything."
He doffed his cap and gave her a small bow. "Mrs. McKenzie, it was my pleasure to make your acquaintance and to preside over your nuptials. I wish you Godspeed on your journey."
"And you as well, Captain." Selena surprised him when she rose on tiptoes to plant a kiss on his weathered cheek. "I will never forget you."
The Captain colored with pleasure and cleared his throat. "Thank you, ma'am. That's very kind of you."
It startled Selena when she heard Liam's deep voice from directly behind her. "I owe you a debt of gratitude too, Captain." The two men clasped hands cordially.
The Captain gave Liam a broad smile. "You take good care of your wife, Mr. McKenzie. She's a dandy."
Liam slipped an arm around Selena's waist and hugged her against him. "I will, Captain. You have my word on that." Liam looked at Selena, and she was surprised to see the serious expression in his eyes. "We'd better get going if we're going to find a place to sleep tonight."
They made their final farewells, and Liam led her off the ship. It wasn't far to a nearby hotel, but Selena was surprised to see how many people were bustling around in the tiny town. Everywhere she looked, folks seemed intent on accomplishing their errands, rushing here and there carrying packages.
"Everyone is doing the same thing we are," Liam murmured, seeing her interest. "It's Oregon fever."
Liam stood aside so that Selena could precede him into the lobby, and he left her near the door while he spoke with the desk clerk. She watched him count out money and within moments he returned with a key.
"I'm surprised there are any rooms available," she said.
"Most folks are already camped outside of town with their wagons. That's what we'll be doing by this time tomorrow." Liam hefted the trunks once more and led the way to the stairs. "Come on."
Selena followed him to the second floor and down a narrow hallway. Their room was small and sparsely furnished, but it was still quite a bit larger than their cabin had been aboard the ship. There was a large bed with a brass headboard and footboard, a small washstand with a pitcher and bowl, and a round table and two chairs in one corner. The only light in the room was streaming in from the dim hallway, and Selena hurried to light a lamp that sat on the bedside table.
Liam set the trunks in one corner and stretched to ease the kinks in his muscles. Selena turned away from the sight, feeling her cheeks turn warm. Her eyes lit on the bed, and her cheeks got even warmer. As if reading her thoughts, Liam came to stand beside her, looking down at the feather mattress.
"I don't see any reason to sleep on the floor. This bed is big enough for both of us."
He looked at her with a challenging brow raised, and Selena swallowed hard. She didn't want to shatter the fragile truce between them, and neither did she want to admit that she was afraid to share the bed with him. She wasn't frightened of him. She was scared of her own reaction to him. It was as if she had no willpower at all when he turned on the charm, and she didn't want to do anything that she might later regret. She raised her chin and met his stare.
"Fine. I'll sleep on that side." She dug her nightgown out of her suitcase and laid it on the foot of the bed. "It's late and I'm tired. I think I'll go to sleep."
"Yeah, we should make it an early night. We'll have a busy day tomorrow." He dragged his gaze away from her and began unbuttoning his shirt.
During their time on the ship, they had gotten used to undressing for bed in each other's presence. Selena had perfected the art of donning her nightgown without revealing anything other than her creamy shoulders and arms, but Liam never could resist the temptation to steal a few peeks. He was usually rewarded with at least a glimpse of a trim ankle and sometimes he got lucky and caught a flash of calf or thigh when she stepped out of her dress. Tonight he got lucky, however, his victory felt hollow since it only served to whet his appetite for more.
Selena climbed into bed and pulled the covers up to her chin as she rolled on her side facing away from Liam. He finished undressing and climbed in beside her. Although Selena had been on the far edge, the feather mattress collapsed beneath their combined weight, and she tumbled against his side.
Selena scrambled to put some distance between them, and her hand brushed across his groin. The heat of his erection seemed to sear her fingers, and she gasped. Her eyes flew to his, and his face was frozen in a pained grimace.
"I'm sorry," she gasped.
Without waiting for his reply, she turned her back once more and scooted to the far edge of the mattress. Liam turned down the lamp, and moonlight streamed in through the small window. They both lay in the darkness, hearts thumping, breath shallow and eyes wide open. Selena felt confused and a bit frightened by her reaction. She felt a gnawing hunger in the pit of her belly that she didn't understand, but she knew Liam was at its source. She wondered what his reaction might be if she were to roll over and press against him once more. Would he welcome her or push her away? She squeezed her eyes tightly shut and tried desperately to slow her breathing.
Liam was going through a similar struggle, except he understood quite well what was required to satisfy his hunger. He fought a raging battle to keep from pulling Selena against him and exploring her silken curves. He dared not close his eyes because he knew his mind would instantly conjure visions of her without her clothes to torment him even further. Instead, he lay rigidly still beside her and listened as her breathing gradually became steady and even. It was a long time later before he found sleep.
They tossed and turned, and inevitably their limbs became intertwined. Liam awoke during the night to find Selena's arm flung across his chest and one of her lithe thighs lying across his loins. Her soft breasts were crushed against his arm and her nightgown had ridden up to her hip. Her skin was velvety soft and warm. He stifled a groan against the pain of his throbbing erection. Had he been condemned to hell, he was convinced that the devil himself would not have been able to devise a more grueling torture than Liam felt in that moment. He turned away from her only to feel her snuggle against him, her full breasts pressed intimately against his back and her thighs tucked beneath his. Despite his best efforts, a small groan escaped.
Sleep was impossible after that, and Liam was gone long before Selena woke the next morning. She sat up in the bed and yawned, noticing that it was barely daylight outside. She rose and quickly washed before changing into her clothes. She had no idea where Liam had gone, so she waited for him in their room.
Almost an hour had passed by the time he returned. He entered, and Selena took in his appearance. There were circles of fatigue beneath his eyes, and he had the thick stubble of beard starting along his jaw.
"Morning," he grumbled.
"Good morning," she replied with a hesitant smile. "Where did you go?"
Liam was tempted to tell her that he had gone to hell and back, but he tamped down the urge and the irritation that went along with it. After all, it wasn't Selena's fault if she was enticing enough to charm the warts off a toad!
"I went to check out the available wagons. I found a good one, but the store isn't open yet. We'll have breakfast and then go see about getting it."
Liam retrieved his shaving kit from the smaller trunk, and he began to unbutton his shirt. Selena turned away and went to stand by the window. It was still early, but she noticed that the streets were already beginning to fill with people. She could hear the sounds of Liam shaving, but she kept her eyes turned toward the street below, not willing to chance a glimpse of his fascinating chest.
Liam finished and washed the last of the soap from his face before donning his shirt once more. When he had it tucked neatly into his breeches, he crossed to stand behind Selena and looked over her shoulder at the scene below.
"It's going to be a hectic day," he said. "Try to say with me, because there are all sorts of people around. Most of them are honest, upstanding folks, but you never know. If we should get separated in the crowd, just come back here to the hotel and wait for me, alright?"
"Alright," Selena whispered.
For some reason, his concern for her welfare affected her profoundly. Was this what it might feel like to be his wife in truth? Would he always be protective and caring?
Liam grasped her elbow to turn her toward the door. "Come on. Let's go get some breakfast."
They ate in the dining room downstairs and then Liam led her to a nearby merchant that sold wagons. The man had just opened for the day, and Liam pointed out the wagon he wanted to buy. As they stood discussing the price, Selena inspected the wagon for the first time. Having grown up on a farm, she was familiar with buckboard wagons, but she had never seen one quite like this before. It had a four by twelve foot wagon bed that was coated on the inside with tar to make it watertight. There were brackets along the outsides where she knew that u-shaped wooden bows could be fitted to support a canvass top, but for now, they had been removed and stacked in the bed of the wagon. The canvass bonnet was folded neatly under the bench, and Selena could see that the bench was attached to sturdy springs to soften the bumps. The rear wheels were larger than the front ones, but all four were made of hardwood and wrapped with iron 'tires' to protect the wood.
