A Promise of Thunder

eager to hear everything she could tell them about Grady and Tim and hung on her every word. She told them about the land rush, their homestead, and mentioned how much Grady doted on Tim. She tried not to dwell on the code of violence by which Grady lived, or the men he had killed in Guthrie. She also saw no reason to tell them that Grady didn’t love her, that their marriage was strictly one of convenience. And she damn sure wasn’t going to admit just how desperately she had come to love her husband.
    Storm still hadn’t found the courage to talk to Shannon about the baby she carried, though she realized Blade had surely imparted that bit of information to his wife. Since she was nearly three months pregnant, the baby would soon make its appearance known in the most basic way. Though still slim as a reed, Storm knew it wouldn’t be long before her body would expand. Already her clothes were becoming snug at the waist and bust, but if one didn’t know her well it would be difficult to tell that she was increasing. Theone thing Storm continued to insist upon was that neither Shannon nor Blade inform Grady of her presence at the ranch. Though they gave their reluctant consent, Storm knew that one day they would refuse to honor her request.
    At the end of two weeks Storm felt extremely comfortable with Blade and Shannon. Their love for one another was so tangible it reached out and touched her. She had never known two people so profoundly in love after nearly thirty years of marriage.
    It was a blistering hot afternoon in July when Storm wandered out to the porch to catch a breath of air. She had tried to nap in her room, but it was too stifling inside for sleep. Finally she rose and wandered downstairs to see what Shannon was up to. She knew Blade was out on the south range branding horses, and at this time of day Shannon could usually be found in the office, working on the books. Blade hated confining book work, but Shannon found it stimulating. Deciding not to disturb Shannon at her work, Storm had stepped outside to the porch.
    Pausing at the rail, she saw Soars-Like-An-Eagle working in the paddock with one of the horses and was quite impressed with the young man’s patience with the animals. He was working out well on the ranch, and not for the first time Storm wondered why Laughing Brook had spurned his offer of marriage. Then, in her mind’s eye, she saw Grady, so handsome,so strong and virile, that Soars-Like-An-Eagle paled in comparison. She, too, would be reluctant to accept a substitute.
    Why did every waking hour of every day have to be filled with memories of Grady? Storm wondered bleakly. Why did each night become a reservoir of painful reminders of how wonderfully he made love to her and how hotly her body burned for his touch? In her dreams his strong arms held her, his mouth kissed and teased every inch of her body, and when he thrust inside her his flesh felt like the softest velvet stretched taut over a pillar of tempered steel.
    “Storm, I thought you were upstairs napping.”
    “Oh,” Storm said, startled from her erotic daydreams. “I didn’t hear you, Shannon. I couldn’t sleep; it’s too hot. I hoped to catch a breeze out here on the porch.”
    “I’ll get us a pitcher of lemonade and join you,” Shannon said. She started to turn away when she spotted riders approaching the house. “I think we have guests. I didn’t know Blade was expecting anyone.”
    Storm scanned the hillside and saw a cloud of dust trailing behind two riders. A thrill of anticipation danced along her spine as she watched the riders approach. Though they were still too far away to identify, her senses leaped in joyful recognition.
    When the riders entered through the gate, Shannon started trembling and her mouthdropped open in wordless shock.
    “Grady.” Storm was the first to speak his name.
    He had come for her.
    Entertaining similar thoughts, Shannon and Storm started forward at the same time. When Shannon broke into a run, Storm deliberately held back, allowing mother and son a moment of privacy for their first meeting in several years. Tears came unbidden to her eyes and she looked away when Grady slid from his mount and opened his arms wide. Then Shannon was swept into his embrace, weeping and laughing at the same time. Several minutes later, when Storm dared to look again, they were still embracing and Grady was whispering into Shannon’s ear. Then he set her aside and moved away so that she could