"We are bound."

"Not completely. Not in the eyes of the law."

He didn't know where the anger came from, but it swelled inside him and blurred his thinking. "Will what you're asking make you feel you've met your obligation?"

She was the one who looked away then.

He wanted to ask if it would make him more of a husband than his brother had been. Levi had done the deed, but he hadn't provided for her as Noah was doing. Clamping his lips tight on the words, he forced himself to remember her confusion and disappointment. She was doing the best she knew how, just as he was. And she felt insecure.

Nothing in his life had prepared him for intimacy with a woman. Levi was the only other person who'd ever had a good look at him without cringing or staring.

He'd never lost the shame or vulnerability of the day the doctor had come to the house and removed his bandages. His father's eyes had filled with tears and he'd looked away. Estelle had recoiled in horror. Only Levi had reached out to touch him. Only-Lev i had treated him as though he was the same person.

Shame and embarrassment was really a form of pride, Reverend Davidson had once told Noah when he was in his twenties during one of the man's visits to the ranch. If he could forego his pride, he could reveal himself.

Easy for Reverend Davidson to say, he'd thought. He didn't have to live with stares and whispers. He didn't have to look in the mirror and see a mouth that didn't move on one side. Once his beard had grown in thick, Noah had never shaved it off. And he didn't believe for a minute that shucking off pride would make a bit of difference in how he looked.

It had taken Katherine some time to formulate a reply, but when she delivered it, he knew she'd been planning her words. "I believe we both have an obligation now, Noah."

He couldn't eat another bite and pushed his plate away. There wasn't a choice now. If he denied her, the marriage wasn't sealed and they both knew it.

She stood and picked up her plate before pausing and sitting back down. "Noah?"

He was twice as big as she, but she struck terror in him. "What?"

"Is there some reason why... I mean is there a problem .. .from your accident that keeps you from... ?"

He stood up so fast his chair flew backward and hit the floor with a whack, "Tonight, then.'"

Bringing a hand to her breast in surprise, she stared at him wide-eyed- "All right."

"All right." He punctuated the words with a nod. righted the chair and grabbed his hat on the way out the door.

There were still a good two hours of daylight left. He led the horse he'd been training out of the corral into the pasture, where he unhooked the lead. The animal kicked up its heels and galloped away, tail and mane flying. Noah would ride fences for a while, take one of the mares out for an easy ride.

Greta had a dark coat with a pale mane and thick forelock that hung between her eyes. He was partial to her nature and her looks, and had just bred her with an Irish draft.

He guided her along the fence line, his gaze instinctively checking the wire and posts without having to think much. His mind was completely absorbed with Katherine...and what he planned to do. It wasn't normal for a grown man to fret about something so natural. People did it all the time.

Levi had sweet-talked and bedded any number of women, then dismissed them as if they were cigar stubs. He'd often tried to drag Noah along for an evening, assuring him he'd loosen up if he had a poke.

Levi had won Katherine's heart, had married her and made love to her.

A twinge in Noah's chest pointed out how much the thought disturbed him. Sickened him. Terrified him.

He couldn't hope to compare. He had no idea what to really do. He was nothing like Levi. Was she expecting him to be? What was she expecting?

The sun finally set and Noah returned the horse and put it up for the night. Gathering soap, toweling and clean clothing, he set out for the stream. The water trickling down from the mountains was frigid, but he welcomed the check in his involuntary yet increasing arousal. He lathered his hair and beard and body, rinsed and climbed the bank, water streaming from his limbs and torso.

Dropping his head back, he gazed at the stars, tried to feel some of the same optimism that seemed such a natural part of {Catherine. As reluctant as he was, there was a thrilling side to this that packed a wallop. He felt guilty for admitting to it, but, after all, he was a man. He would have to be dead to not want to make love to a lovely woman like Kather-ine.

The moonlight was a kind friend. He wouldn't let Katherine see him. With his ugliness hidden, he was just like any other. Noah dried himself and stroked a finger over the ridges on his chest. A lifetime of avoidance was not easily set aside.

He was not like any other man. His scars had become his identity.

He remembered the night Katherine's window had been smashed in by the tree and glass had showered the bed where she lay. After hearing the sound, he'd rushed to her room with terrifying visions of her cut and bleeding. The images had nearly stopped his heart. He'd immediately pictured cuts and gashes and blood. The unthinkable. Relief at finding her uninjured had come from his marrow.

Katherine was an enchantress. Hair the color of warm honey. Wide dark eyes that changed colors depending on the light and her clothing. Smooth cheeks and small dainty hands. She was fresh. Open. Guileless. She was everything he wasn't.

But her happiness at the Rockin' C seemed to depend on her sense of belonging and security, and she expected him to lock those in for her. No reason he couldn't. No reason he shouldn't. He picked up his dirty clothing and headed for the house.

The dressing gown Kate had selected was one Estelle had purchased from Annie's shop. It was pale blue sateen, with ivory lace at the neck and wrists, and ribbons that tied the front closed. Underneath, the matching sleeveless nightdress was the nicest thing she'd ever felt against her skin.

Kate had brushed her hair and rebraided it twice while waiting for Noah's footsteps in the hall. Did he mean to come to her room or did he expect her to go to his?

Waiting and wondering was nerve-racking. With Levi, she had always known his intent and he'd wasted no time in pursuing it. He'd been exciting and fun, with no inhibitions or qualms, and from him she'd learned that the physical act with a man was pleasurable. She still had no idea what Estelle had gone on about, because it hadn't entered her mind to deny Levi once they were married.

Noah, on the other hand, was reluctant. If everything about him was contrary to what she knew, would the experience be an unpleasant one? She wanted to endear herself, to please him.. .show him he'd made a good choice in marrying her. But she didn't want to hate being intimate with him.

At the far end of the hall, a door closed. She hadn't heard him on the stairs; he wasn't wearing his boots. While she waited for another sound, her heart did a jig in her chest.

His rap made her jump.

"Come in."

He opened the door and stood in the opening. "Turn out the light."

She scurried to turn down the wick and extinguish the lamp.

He closed the door behind him with a solid click. "The shade."

She walked through a puddle of moonlight io lower the shade and plunge the room into complete darkness. Turning, she padded to stand at the foot of the bed, where she could barely make out the outline of his broad form. Noah.

"You're thinking this is awkward," she said. "But it's right. I know it is."

"Are you scared?"

She couldn't remember a time in her life when she hadn't been scared. "A little."

"I won't hurt you."

"1 know that. Do you want me to take off my nightgown?"

It took him a moment to reply. "What would you like to do?"

She liked that he'd asked. "Well. I think I'd like you to kiss me."

"You...want me to kiss you?"

"Yes. Unless you don't want to. It was just a suggestion, but if you'd rather..."

He took a step forward and she felt the heat from his body through her clothing, though he wasn't

touching her anywhere. Yet. The clean scent of soap emanated from him. He wrapped one strong arm

around her back to gather her closer and bent his head to find her mouth. Kate raised her face and they bumped noses before she sensed his mouth move over hers, When they touched hers, his lips were warm and firm. He kissed her tentatively and against her chin his beard was soft, his mustache a gentle tickle on her upper lip.

They were both a little uncertain, a little wary, but that didn't keep the kiss from being more pleasurable than Kate had anticipated. Quite naturally she leaned against him, her breasts and belly pressing against the muscle and sinew evident through their clothing.

Noah wasn't much taller than Levi, but he was a lot broader through the chest and shoulders. The arm around her back was firm and muscular. She'd known, because he'd carried her from her room to his, but she hadn't taken time to appreciate it then. Now she tentatively raised her palm to lay it on his shirt front, to feel the warmth, the beat of his heart. He was big and solid and reassuring.

The kiss ended and he leaned forward, nudging his nose into her hair, then lowered his mouth to her ear where his breath fluttered. Gooseflesh rose on her arms and shoulders, and her breasts grew taut. With one hand splayed against her back, Noah nuzzled the skin behind her ear and touched his lips to her neck.

Raising a tentative hand, she found his hair surprisingly thick and soft, and ran her fingers through the cool, damp strands. She tucked a mass behind his ear as she'd so often seen him do, then trailed her fingertips around the shape.

He raised his face from her neck until his nose and lips barely touched her cheek. "You're not afraid of me?" There was a touch of disbelief in his husky whisper. "Do 1 need to be?" "I don't think so. No." She turned her face into his beard. He smelled like mountain air. "You sound uncertain." "I'd never hurt you. Scaring you would be unintentional." His lips were inches from hers again.

This wasn't what scared her. This would ease her fears. But he couldn't understand. She tilted her chin upward.

This kiss was less hesitant than the last. In a kind of mutual exploration, both parted their lips. His thumb moved in a caress against her spine. The pleasure of his kiss an unexpected delight, she raised her other hand to his shoulder.

Noah wasn't sure who was leading whom in this gratifyingly indulgent exploration. If she had any qualms about what they were doing, she hid them well. But then, she'd done this before and Levi had been experienced. He had to carve the humiliating thought out of his head and concentrate on the feelings.

Her body felt small and soft against his. The heady feminine scent of her hair and skin was new and enthralling, like nothing he'd imagined. He'd been in a state of arousal since he'd told her this would be the night, but being in her room, holding her in his arms and kissing her was almost more than he could bear.

He wanted her. Tightening his hold, he pulled her more closely against him and felt the swell of her firm belly. The reminder brought Levi to mind, but the crush of her soft breasts eased his brother from his thoughts. When he bracketed her ribs and took measure of her slender frame, his thumbs came up to rest on either side of her breasts.

She pulled away. Had his touch been too much? A stab of hot shame pricked his heart.

The sound of fabric rustled as she removed her silky dressing gown and dropped it in the darkness. Recognizing his first self-conscious instinct had been wrong, his heart stopped for several beats. Another rustle and he dimly made out the shapes as she pulled another garment over her head.

His throat had gone so dry, he couldn't swallow. He wasn't even sure he could breathe. Was she naked? His heart started beating again, this time like the chug of a locomotive. His blood thundered in his head and his scalp tingled. He would welcome the distraction of her chattiness right now before he made a fool of himself, but she wasn't talking.

She moved toward him, quite easily nestling herself against him where she'd been before, but this time when he reached for her, he encountered warm skin. He brushed her arm first, then moved both hands to her sleek back and ran his palms upward and back down, the back of his hand moving against her bumpy braid.

Mercy, she was silk and satin and heat and every delightful sensation his sanity could bear. Her skin was softer and smoother than anything he'd known.

She leaned into him and this time he knew the only thing between his chest and her breasts was his shirt. He groaned and dipped his head to her shoulder and reverently kissed her skin.

The position allowed him to dip his hands lower and cup her rounded bottom. Kneading her flesh, he pulled her closer and she flattened both palms on his chest.

With tactile pleasure, Noah stroked her derriere. This was too good to be happening. It took a moment for the fact that she had reached for the buttons of his shirt to register. When it did, he removed one hand to still her fingers. "What are you doing?"

"Taking off your shirt."

He'd known they would arrive at this point. She'd been brave enough to remove her clothing. But she was perfect. His body wasn't a work of beauty like hers. It was dark, he assured himself. He'd planned it this way, waited, shut out all the light. She wouldn't see. After allowing her to unfasten the buttons, he shrugged out of the garment.

She backed away a step as though waiting.

He reached for his trousers and unfastened them, pushed them off and kicked them aside.

She moved away then, and he thought he'd done something wrong. But his eyes had adjusted enough

that he could make out her silhouette in the darkness as she pulled back the covers and got into bed.

He stood there like an idiot, his blood pumping, his chest hurting.

"Noah?"

"What?"

"Are you coming to bed?"

He made his feet move then. Around the end of the bed. To the side. She couldn't see him. He was a

man like any other, and he was her husband. Not her first husband, that wretched voice in his head taunted. Already he was inept and bungling things. He'd heard Levi talk about women's bodies and the things he'd done with females, but Noah hadn't any idea how to initiate such intimate acts. He thought

everything so far had been incredible, but for once he didn't know what Katherine was thinking. She was so perfect. Hair and lips and hands like an angel, skin that sent a man over the edge. His brain tortured him with thoughts of this sweet woman with Levi. She carried his child in her body.

"Noah?"

This would make her happy. Make her feel secure.

His weight made the mattress dip and the bed frame groan. He lay and faced her, their knees touching.

"What would you like, Noah?" she asked.

"What do you mean?"

"I told you I'd like kisses," she answered. "Now tell me what you'd like."

As if the kisses hadn't been for him, as well, he thought. He wasn't going to admit he hadn't any idea

what he liked. He was liking all of it too much. There was something he'd imagined, however. "Could you undo your braid?" He could hear her smile in her voice when she said, "Of course." He sensed her motions. A minute later she found his hand between them and carried it to her hair where it spilled across the pillow. He wished then, more than anything, that he wasn't bound to the darkness. That he could drink her in with his eyes and appreciate her loveliness. At that moment he resented being cheated out of the pleasure.

Rising up, he kissed her. This time as they spontaneously embraced, he folded her close. The bones of her shoulder seemed too fragile in his hand. Katherine's palm met the skin of his chest and he froze. His entire being focused on her hand and the scars she was touching. He took his mouth from hers and caught her hand.