The Education of Madeline Read online

  More than a few snickers and several gasps met her statement. No one had ever seen a female attorney in Plum Creek.

  Judge Montgomery turned his stare onto Madeline. Unbelievably she squirmed in her seat. His gaze reminded her a bit of her tyrannical father.

  “You are Madeline Brewster, now Madeline O’Neal?”

  “Yes, sir,” she managed to say through tight lips.

  “The man behind you is your lawfully wedded husband, Teague O’Neal, a decorated captain in the Union Army?”

  Madeline hid her surprise. She had no idea Teague was a war hero.

  “Yes, sir. Teague is my husband.”

  “You married him willingly and without coercion?”

  She had no idea where the questions were leading, and she had no choice but to answer honestly. “Yes, sir.”

  Judge Montgomery nodded, satisfied with her answers.

  “Someone provide Mr. O’Neal with a chair. I don’t want him standing in my courtroom all day.”

  There was some shuffling, and another chair was brought to the defense table.

  “Let’s proceed, then. Mr. Worthington, present your case.”

  Teague had never been so scared in his life. He knew they had the evidence to thwart anything the prosecution threw at her, but there was the possibility of failure. He didn’t even want to contemplate it, but he couldn’t help it. He had just found the one person who made his heart whole, and there was a threat to her. A big threat. An enormous threat. And he couldn’t do a damn thing to stop it.

  He listened to the fancy attorney from Boulder lay out the evidence against Madeline, and his stomach grew tighter and tighter. Over one hundred thousand dollars missing, properties seized illegally, and falsified bank records. Then there was the ugly lie about her moral character.

  Elizabeth proceeded to lay out her case—brilliantly, in Teague’s opinion. She spoke of jealousy, hate, and greed and named the true guilty parties.

  Then the prosecution started in earnest. Witness after witness came up and testified. A little weasel named Cleeson from the bank told how Madeline acted strangely and stayed late or came in early, how the ledgers never seemed to stay the same. Then some pulpit pounder named Reverend Mathias—had to be the one Madeline couldn’t stand—talked about her immortal soul’s jeopardy. How she took in strays, Negroes, and single men into her house, which she painted blue like a harlot’s residence.

  Madeline watched everything without crying, but he saw her chin wobbling a few times. He just kept squeezing her hand and tried desperately to give her his strength.

  Lousy bastards. So many times he wanted to jump up and shout at them or, better yet, pound them into a pulp. He didn’t. He heeded Judge Montgomery’s warning and stayed quiet. No way in hell he wanted to leave Maddie’s side. By the time Mr. Fancy-Pants Worthington finished pontificating, it was nearly four o’clock.

  Judge Montgomery looked at the clock. “We will pick up tomorrow morning with the defense at nine o’clock sharp. If you’re not here by nine, the door gets shut and you don’t get in.” He pointed at Madeline. “You are still in custody, young lady, and will be remanded to the marshals for this evening.”

  He slammed the gavel, and everyone rose as he left the courtroom. The burly marshals walked to her table and waited patiently for her to stand.

  The crowd chattered away as the room began to empty. Teague was hoping the judge would release Madeline into his custody, but he hadn’t.

  “Ma’am,” said the dark-haired marshal. “My name is Watkins. This is Hoke. No harm will come to you, I promise you. It’s time to go.”

  Teague turned her face to look at him. Her dark eyes were sad, scared, and resigned all at the same time.

  “We’ll beat them, honey. I promise,” he said and then kissed her gently.

  She nodded and stood. She hugged Elizabeth briefly. “Thank you, Elizabeth. I don’t know what I would have done without you.”

  Elizabeth waved her hand in dismissal. “It’s the most fun I’ve had in years. No need to thank me. I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for this bear of a husband of yours.”

  Madeline finally smiled. The pure love that shone at him was enough to knock him to his knees. Then, in front of God and all the people left in the room, she grabbed his face and kissed him senseless. Lord, Jesus, he wanted to spend the rest of his life with this woman.

  “I have something for you,” he said, reaching into his pocket. He fished out the gold band he’d found in her belongings and held it up.

  Her smile grew wider, and she nodded at him. With something like reverence, he slid the gold band on her finger. It fit perfectly, like it was made for her.

  “Thank you,” she whispered and then proceeded to kiss him all over again. His body’s temperature was rising, right along with his erection.

  Watkins interrupted with a cough. “Ma’am, we need to go.”

  With one last kiss, she pulled away and whispered, “I love you,” and then walked away with the marshals beside her. She held herself like a queen as the people left in the room whispered and pointed at her.

  “Helluva woman,” Elizabeth mused.

  “God, yes,” Teague said. “I hope to hell you can keep her mine.”

  Chapter Twenty

  Teague helped Elizabeth carry her things back to Madeline’s house. Court was held in the meeting hall in the middle of town, so it was a short, ten-minute walk there. The air was still relatively warm, and there was a hint of spring flowers in the air.

  “Lovely town,” Elizabeth said.

  “Appearances can be deceiving,” Teague responded.

  She nodded. “They surely can.”

  The rest of the walk was silent. Teague was afraid to express his worry over Madeline’s fate. As if speaking it aloud would somehow make it come true.

  As they walked up the front steps, he heard the distinct sound of a shotgun being cocked.

  “Micah?” Teague called. “It’s Teague.”

  “Teague?” came a voice from behind the door. “About damn time you showed up, Yank.”

  The door opened, and Teague tried not to let his shock show at Micah’s condition. Barefoot, he wore torn, bloodstained clothes. His hair looked like a tumbleweed, and his beard was matted. But it was his eyes that really stood out. He knew that look. That soul-encompassing grief.

  “How is she?” he asked.

  Micah shook his head. “Alive.”

  He introduced Elizabeth to Micah, and they all went inside.

  Teague walked upstairs while Micah and Elizabeth talked. He found a plump redheaded woman sitting with Eppie. She stood up when he came in.

  “Oh, my! Hello, there, I’m Candice Merriweather, Madeline’s friend. You must be Mr. O’Neal.” She held out one hand, and Teague politely shook it.

  “Nice to meet you, Miss Merriweather. How is she?”

  Candice glanced down at Eppie, whose chest was barely moving. She was swathed in white bandages and white sheets and looked just like an angel.

  “There’s been no change. She ran a high fever the first two days, but it broke, thank God. Since then she’s just been sleeping so deeply nothing seems to touch her.” Candice glanced at the door. “Micah has been beside himself with worry. I think, perhaps, there’s more than guilt involved.”

  Teague felt his back go up at her words. He waited for her to express her distaste.

  “It’s awful what happened to Eppie. I hope she wakes up and sees how much he cares for her.”

  Candice truly looked saddened, and Teague’s defenses retreated back down. She obviously wasn’t a closed-minded moron like the rest of the town.

  “Oh, my goodness!” she exclaimed. “How is Madeline?”

  Teague sat down and filled Candice in on what had happened that day. She tut-tutted about the marshals taking her away and looked decidedly aghast at what the other townspeople had had to say about Madeline.

  “Why, I can’t believe it! These are the same people she’s helped
for the last two years, throwing it back in her face. That is…a low-down, skunky thing to do!”

  Teague chuckled at how she screwed up her face and then didn’t even curse. She had a good heart. Madeline could rest easy about this friend of hers.

  “Yes, ma’am, it surely was. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go downstairs and see if I can convince Micah to take a bath, now that reinforcements have arrived.” He bent down and kissed Eppie’s still forehead and then whispered. “Get better, you little curmudgeon.”

  Teague talked, argued, and then finally bullied Micah into taking a bath. Elizabeth threw up her hands and said she was going to the sitting room to read. She didn’t need any naked men in her line of vision.

  While Micah heated the water for his bath, Teague went outside to sit on the front porch. As soon as his body touched the swing, he was awash in memories of Maddie. He closed his eyes and remembered holding her hand, breathing in her flowery scent, falling helplessly in love with her.

  It had been only two days, but he missed her like hell. What he had felt for Claire was young love. What he had felt for Maddie was a deep, abiding love that carved out a niche inside him. Losing her would simply destroy him. He couldn’t let that happen.

  As twilight fell, he saw the lights of the buildings in town twinkle in the purple darkness. His sharp eyes picked out three figures walking toward the house as though they wanted to sneak up on it. Teague melted into the shadows of the front porch and waited to see what they would do. He wouldn’t put it past that bastard Webster to send someone to kill them all as they slept.

  When the three figures came closer, one of them started walking faster, so the other two kept pace. That’s when Teague felt his heart thump loudly.

  Maddie.

  He vaulted off the porch and ran.

  Madeline saw Teague appear from the shadows of the porch, and tears sprang to her eyes. As he ran toward her, she walked as quickly as she could to meet him halfway. When they finally met, she threw herself into his arms, and he twirled her around and around until she was dizzy. His lips sought hers, and they kissed and kissed until Madeline nearly forgot she was on trial for her life.

  “I missed you,” he said against her ear as he nibbled the lobe. Sharp shivers of want echoed through her body.

  “I missed you, too.” A tap on her shoulder reminded her that her guards were still there watching them. She pulled back and scanned Teague’s eyes in the darkness. “I begged them to come. I had to see you and Eppie and Micah. I couldn’t stay another night in that jail.”

  Teague looked behind her at the marshals. “You have my thanks.”

  They murmured politely, and then together the four of them walked back to Madeline’s house. As she stepped over the threshold, she thought about how much her life had changed since she had left. How different everything was. Her shoes echoed on the wood floor, and she heard the past echoing at her.

  It was echoes. Nothing more. The past was going to stay there. Madeline was going to focus on the future.

  Micah looked absolutely horrible, though he was clean. His eyes were haunted, and his cheeks sunken. He hugged Madeline, and her guilt nearly overwhelmed her. She apologized over and over for putting him and Eppie in danger.

  He frowned at her. “Don’t you dare take credit for what that lousy son of a bitch did to you.”

  She hugged him one more time and then headed upstairs; each step was like a lead weight on her heart. Eppie. Her outspoken, funny, lovely friend. The first friend she’d ever had in her lonely world. God, she couldn’t believe death hovered so near.

  Madeline stepped into Eppie’s room and found Candice keeping watch. They embraced, and Madeline thanked her profusely for helping Micah and for sending her the telegram. She hadn’t looked at Eppie yet. She was afraid to. Candice seemed to understand, and her sad green eyes encouraged her to be brave.

  Madeline finally turned to look. Her knees gave way, and she landed on the side of the bed. Good thing she had a significant rear end, or she would have ended up on the floor. Eppie looked like a ghost. Her normally cocoa-colored skin was a sallow gray, and she was all in white—white bandages, white sheets, white nightdress. Madeline half expected a pair of wings.

  She picked up Eppie’s hand, startled by how cold she was, and started talking. At some point, Candice left the room. Madeline talked to Eppie about everything that had happened in Denver, how she had married Teague, how he had told her he loved her. She spoke to her of the trial and everything the town was doing to ruin her. All along, tears rolled down her cheeks as grief for her friend poured through her.

  Madeline talked until her throat grew hoarse and her eyes were dry. She felt a hand on her shoulder and knew immediately it was Teague.

  “How about you take a rest and try to get some sleep?” he said softly.

  She nodded and then leaned over to kiss her friend on the cheek and whisper in her ear, “Don’t leave me, Eppie. I love you, my friend.”

  Madeline allowed Teague to lead her out of the room. She vaguely saw Micah head back into Eppie’s room. They entered her bedroom, and Teague undressed her. Like a sleepwalker, Madeline watched him work and didn’t move to help him. He lay her down in the cool, crisp sheets of her bed and pulled the blanket up around her. Teague shed his clothes quickly and climbed in beside her. Her back snuggled up against his chest, and his strong arm anchored her waist. Within moments, she fell into a deep slumber.

  It was dark when she woke. Madeline felt the snug warmth of her husband behind her and smiled. She could definitely get used to this. She wiggled against him and felt his cock harden against her buttocks. She wiggled again, and it grew longer, harder.

  “Maddie?”

  “Love me, Teague.”

  The darkness surrounded them like a cocoon, and all she could do was feel. His breath fluttered across her neck as he kissed the exposed skin. His hands started caressing her breasts, slowly circling the nipples over and over until they were tight and aching. He lightly pinched them, and an answering throb went to her pussy. One big hand crept down her stomach, and her legs parted to give him better access.

  Teague rolled her onto her back. His hot mouth clamped down on one breast, and his fingers began to weave their magic in her damp core. As his teeth grazed her nipple, two fingers slowly entered her as his thumb circled her hot button. Sensations battered her as her body begged for more.

  He laved and nibbled her other breast while his chest hair slid against the wet nipple his mouth had just pleasured. Three fingers now were sliding in and out of her. She felt her climax rising like a wave, and she tried to hold it back. Too soon.

  “Don’t you dare hold back,” he whispered. “Fly, Maddie.”

  He pinched her clit, and she came, bucking and twisting against his hand. His mouth suckled her breast, and his hand continued to fuck her, prolonging her orgasm. She floated, and he gentled his touch. With one last lick, he abandoned her breasts and moved away. He moved her seemingly boneless body to the center of the bed and spread her legs wide. Before she knew what he was about, he had tied her ankles to the bedposts with the sheet.

  “Do you trust me?”

  “Yes.” Her answer was without hesitation. Whatever he was going to do filled her with excitement, where only moments before she had been satiated. She was now hungry again.

  He straddled her waist, and his heavy cock rested between her breasts. He tied her wrists to the brass headboard, and Madeline barely noticed. She was trying desperately to see his erection. She wanted to lick it.

  As he moved off her, she moaned in protest. He stopped in midswing.

  “Maddie?”

  “Please, Teague. I want to taste you.”

  She felt him twitch against her, and her hunger grew.

  He straddled her again, and she felt his hot skin graze her lips. She stuck out her tongue and licked the tip. Salty. Enticing. She leaned her head forward as much as she could and licked all around the head and then took it in
her mouth. It was the most exciting experience of her life.

  She was tied to a bed and licking her husband’s erection. Her pussy was throbbing in time with his pulse, which she could feel in her mouth. She licked and nibbled as he had to her, following her instincts. He started to move back and forth into her mouth, putting more and more of himself in. She sucked at him and licked as his rhythm grew faster.

  “Oh, Jesus, Maddie,” he said in a husky voice. “Your tongue…”

  She stopped, embarrassed.

  “Don’t stop, please don’t stop. You’re going to make me come. That is so incredible. So amazing. God, I love you.”

  He started moving again, and she tasted him. Tasted his essence as it leaked from the tip onto her tongue. He suddenly withdrew and jumped off her.

  “Teague?”

  “I want this to last. Anticipation can heighten the pleasure.”

  She ached to taste him again. Her tongue ran around the seam of her lips, and she shuddered in hunger.

  “I want…”

  One finger touched her lips. “I’ve got the reins, Maddie. You do what I want. This is your final exam.”

  She nodded against his finger, ready to follow his lead.

  Teague’s hands started caressing her; then his tongue and lips followed them. Starting at her fingers, he explored and then licked and nibbled her. His mouth left a hot trail down each arm, around her neck and shoulders. He didn’t kiss her lips, though. She wanted to ask him to but kept silent.

  His teeth bit her nipples nearly to the point of pain, but she simply moaned as her excitement grew. His tongue licked the bites; then he continued his journey down her stomach, now biting and licking his way. Madeline was nearly feverish by the time he reached her legs.

  She gasped as his mouth skipped her aching pussy and went down each leg to her feet. She wanted to scream in frustration; instead she throbbed in anticipation. As he suckled her toes, she wiggled on the bed, hungry for more.

  “Be still. You will move when I tell you to.”

  Madeline immediately stopped her movements.