A Promise of Thunder

look he gave Storm before he departed was more potent than a glass of fine brandy.
    After supper that night Laughing Brook managed to corner Grady alone when he went to the river to fetch water for Storm’s bath. She had sneaked out of the cabin while Storm was busy putting things in place in the new bedroom. Tim had wandered into the bedroom after Storm, leaving Laughing Brook free to pursue Grady. She found him standing knee deep in the river, bathing. His bronze skin shimmered with iridescent drops of water, and his hair was dripping. His back was to her and despite the coolness of the March night he was splashing icy water over his entire body.
    Laughing Brook stared greedily at the taut mounds of his bare buttocks, reluctantly moving her eyes upward to the thickly bunched muscles of his arms and torso, flexing involuntarilyfrom the shock of icy water against his heated flesh. She licked her lips, feeling her need for Grady in every crevice and curve of her body. Then, in one fluid motion, she removed her dress and kicked off her moccasins. She stepped into the water, shivering violently but warmed by the vision of Grady’s hard body pressed intimately against her own lush curves.
    She had nearly reached him when Grady heard her. He whirled, stunned by the sight of Laughing Brook, naked, her supple skin gilded a tawny gold by the moonlight. He stood motionless, staring at her as if mesmerized, until she was close enough for the heat of her body to reach out and scorch him.
    “Isn’t it a little cold for you to be bathing in the river?” he asked, striving to keep his voice level. It was difficult with the full ripeness of her breasts so close to his chest.
    “It’s not too cold for you.”
    “I’m a man.”
    “I know. Not just a man but a mighty warrior.” She looked pointedly downward. “Your loins are full and heavy. I would ease you if you’d allow it. I know your wife hasn’t been a true wife to you. I would comfort you in your need.” She moved closer, until the diamond-hard tips of her breasts stabbed against his chest.
    “You shouldn’t be here. If I’d known you wanted to bathe, I would have given you privacy,” Grady said in a strangled voice.
    Laughing Brook’s answer was to wind her arms around Grady’s neck and rub her body against his. “You know what I want, Thunder.”
    Grady started violently when she pressed her mouth to his. He felt the flick of her hot tongue against his lips and tried to step backward, but Laughing Brook refused to be dislodged. They stood suspended in the knee-deep water for the space of a heartbeat before the sand beneath his feet suddenly gave way and Grady lost his balance. He fell into the water, taking Laughing Brook with him. The shock of the cold water relaxed her grip on him as she came up sputtering. Grady seized the opportunity. He turned abruptly and waded back to shore, leaving Laughing Brook sitting in the cold water, sputtering in indignation.
    Storm was tucking Tim into bed when Grady entered the cabin. Drops of water beaded his hair, and his shirt clung wetly to his back and shoulders. He carried a bucket of water in each hand, and she assumed he had bathed in the river when he went to fetch water. Bathing in the cold river was a habit she couldn’t accustom herself to, though Grady did it nearly every day except for the coldest days of winter. He set the buckets on the stove to heat before speaking.
    “The water will be hot shortly. I know how you appreciate a hot bath. Take your time; I’ll see to the animals.”
    “Thank you,” Storm said, declining to look athim. She knew they would be alone tonight for the first time in months, and she wasn’t certain what she would do or how she would act. But from all indications, Grady knew exactly what he wanted.
    Laughing Brook entered the cabin a few minutes later, looking enormously pleased with herself. Storm frowned when she noted that the Indian girl looked sensuously bedraggled. Her hair was dripping wet and her buckskin dress damp. Had she been with Grady at the river? Had they bathed together? Had they … Storm’s lips turned down into a frown when she envisioned Grady and Laughing Brook making love in the water. The pain of it nearly doubled her over.
    Laughing Brook’s bubbling laughter floated to her from across the room. “Thunder was magnificent tonight. Have you ever made love in the water? No,” she said, forestalling Storm’s answer, “I doubt that you have. Thunder