Tingles exploded within her. His muscles flexed beneath her palms. She latched onto his lapels and pulled him closer as she lost herself in the kiss.
Ben’s heart soared. Cora loved him. He pressed his hand to the back of her head, weaving his fingers through her silken hair as he deepened the kiss. Four-and-a-half months without his girl. Much too long. Liquid fire flowed through him by the time he broke the kiss and dipped his forehead to hers.
People jostled past them. Some with giggles, others with grumbles. It didn’t matter.
This wasn’t going as planned. Now that he had her in his arms, he didn’t want to let go. How was he supposed to leave her at her rented room for the night, let alone escort her to Texas in a few days with the intent of parting with her? It was all he could do to not propose here and now and suggest they find a minister before nightfall. “When I received the telegram sayingyou were on your way here, it was like Fourth of July, sunrise, and sunset all rolled into one.” He brushed his thumbs back and forth across her shoulders.
“That’s exactly how I felt. When I saw you waiting on the dock, I almost fainted.” Her voice was barely more than a breath.
He inhaled soap and river. “We should have talked before we got around to the kissing. Now I can’t think of anything else.” He trailed his lips down to hers once more.
“Me either.”
“Well, I never.” A lady grumbled as she stalked past them.
Someone clunked a carpetbag at their feet. “Excuse me, sir, ma’am.” A male voice interrupted further.
Ben lifted his head.
A blue-coated employee of theHarlanstood a couple feet from Cora’s elbow. “Have to ask you two to move. We have unloading to do.”
Cora blushed.
“Excuse us, sir.” Ben, hat askew, nodded to the fellow and picked up Cora’s carpetbag. The roses wobbled in his other hand. A petal fluttered to the ground. “For you.”
“They’re beautiful.” She beamed and pressed the bouquet of drooping buds to her nose, inhaling deeply.
Dock workers hustled around them.
“We’d best go. Did Charlie come too?” He scanned the crowd.
“The Ramseys volunteered to let him stay at their ranch while I’m away.”
“They’ll take good care of him. But what did he think of that?”
“Reluctant to stay in the same house as the little girl who is sweet on him. But Major Ramsey promised him lots of adventure and time outdoors.”
“Little Star will probably follow him outside.” He chuckled and held out his arm to her. Time with Cora alone? He owed Garret big for this.
CHAPTER 41
Ben savored his oyster stew and listened to Cora tell of Charlie’s recent adventures. Quiet conversations from the café’s other customers hummed around them, but Cora was his focus. Light from the short-trimmed oil lamp on their small table flickered across her features, deepening the blue of her eyes and highlighting the height of her cheekbones. She’d coiffed her hair, framing her face with loose tendrils of waves and weaving the rest into a masterful sculpture at the back of her head, safely secured with pins and the engraved comb he’d given her. In addition, she’d fastened one of the rosebuds to the bosom of her glimmering green dress. Beautiful from head to toe, inside and out.
His knee jigged up and down beneath the table. How would Cora respond to his proposal? Her letter had said she didn’t need proof that he could be trusted and that he was done with laudanum. And she’d traveled here, prepared and willing to go all the way to Philadelphia to see him, but that didn’t mean she was ready to join her life with his until death do us part.
If she said yes, the nuptials would have to wait until he settled his commitments in Philadelphia. How would he be able to concentrate on his work at the paper—or anything else,for that matter—knowing Cora and Charlie were two thousand miles away waiting for him?
Across the table, Cora nudged a tendril from her face. “And then Charlie shot a buffalo.”
“What?” His eyebrows spiked.
Her smile widened. “I was teasing, seeing if you were listening.”
“If I’ve missed anything you’ve said, it’s because I’m mesmerized by your presence.”
She blushed. “It’s time for you to talk. I want to hear about your work and your family. I already know a little about your sister, Evelyn.”
“And what do you know about her?”
