This is a work of fiction, using characters from the film, “3:10 to Yuma”.  No insult or invasion of privacy or infringement of copyright is intended. The story is for readers over the age of 18 only, and contains adult language. The writer is not responsible for any "discomfort" caused to the reader by this language and these situations.

Unexpected Opportunity

©2008  by:  Layne Richards

PART EIGHT

Ben couldn't ever remember having slept as soundly as he did that night.  Lacey had curved against him, laying her head on his uninjured shoulder and wrapping her arm around his waist. 

"'Night, Ben," she'd murmured softly to him.  And then, her voice barely audible as she was drifting off, "I love you."

Love.  He doubted any woman ever feeling an emotion for him that his own mama hadn't felt.  Especially doubted that Lacey would feel that way, had she known that his name was Wade, not Warner.

He could tell, though, that she truly believed that was what she felt for him.  The words were spoken simply and sincerely and, once again, he was moved by her.  For the first time in a long time, Ben Wade not only slept, he truly rested.

When he woke in the morning, the bed next to him was empty.  It startled him to the point of reaching for his gun, until he smelled the fragrance of bacon frying in the kitchen and heard Lacey's soft humming.  Ordinary morning smells and sounds to most people, he supposed.  Dropping his head back onto the pillow, he indulged for a brief moment in the fantasy that this was his normal life and that he woke to these smells and Lacey's humming every morning.  Before he had time to chastise himself for such ridiculous thoughts, the bedroom door opened quietly.

Lacey stepped in carrying a tray, just as she had three days ago when he'd first arrived.  He saw and smelled bacon, eggs, and biscuits on the plate, and a cup of coffee to go with it all.  Ben smiled at her and she smiled back, although he noted that she was still blushing a bit this morning.

"Breakfast in bed?  You thinkin' last night wore me out?"  He couldn't help teasing her, just to see that blush deepen.

Setting the tray down carefully, Lacey stammered, "No-  I just-"  She trailed off, not sure what to say.

Ben chuckled and took her hand, pulling her down next to him.  "Still blushin' this mornin' huh?"  He gave her a long, slow kiss that took her breath away.  "Think we might be able to cure you of that before Saturday?"

Instantly, he regretted bringing up Saturday.  Didn't know why he'd done it, except maybe because it had been on his mind before he went to sleep last night, and again as soon as he woke up.

"Ben," Lacey murmured softly.  "About Saturday-"

"Hush, darlin'," he said, his voice quiet and still.  "Not yet.  We'll get to it, but not just yet. 'Sides," he grinned at her.  "Right now I'm hungry.  Gotta keep my strength up, you know?  What with you wearin' me out at night and all!"

"You just love teasing me, don't you?"  She smiled.

"I like seein' you blush an' get all flustered," he replied, reaching for the cup and taking a drink of coffee.

Wade couldn't ever remember having a day like that one in his life.  Lacey had chores to do and, dressed in some of her Pa's work clothes, he went out and helped.  It wasn't that Ben was opposed to a hard day's work.  But an honest hard day's work was something different for him.

First, the stalls in the barn had to be mucked out and filled with clean hay.  Wielding a pitchfork was something Ben had done before, but not in a long time.  It was hot, sweaty work.  Finally, the two of them had finished pitching and spreading the last forkful of clean hay.

Lacey's hair had come down and light brown curls lay all around her flushed face.  The faded blue calico dress she wore was smudged and crumpled.  There was dirt on her forehead, where she had wiped her hand across it.  Ben thought she was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.

Pulling her down into the clean hay, he gave her a long, thorough kiss and began unbuttoning the top buttons of the dress.  Lacey began protesting and pushing his hands away.

"Ben!  No!"  She tried to do the buttons back up.  "I'm filthy!  And sweaty!  I want a bath before you even touch me!  And besides-  There's still wood to be cut and stacked."

Despite her words, Lacey was smiling up at him.  Her brown eyes sparkled and she framed his face with her hands.  He was hot and dirty too.  His chestnut hair was damp with sweat.  The clothes he was wearing were a bit too short for him and looked as though she hadn't just laundered them last week.  How did a man look so good in spite of all that, she wondered to herself.

"All the women around, an' I had to find me one with a work ethic," Ben grumbled, grinning nevertheless.  "Okay, darlin', come on.  I'll chop and you can stack."

By the time they finished, there was a nice-sized stack of wood against the side of the house.  Wielding the ax was even hotter work than cleaning stalls and, somewhere in the middle of the project, Ben had removed his shirt.  Lacey became so entranced at watching the muscles ripple in his arms and down his back as he swung the ax that she could hardly remember to stack wood.

Finally, sweat literally pouring off him, Ben swung the ax one last time, leaving it in the chopping block.  "That's it," he announced.  "I'm not cuttin' one more stick of wood in this heat.  You've got plenty there for cookin', an' I can guarantee that you ain't gonna freeze any time soon."

He wiped his brow with his forearm and glanced over at Lacey.  There was sweat on her brow too, but she was still staring at him--at the broad chest that glistened in the sun, remembering how she had touched it last night.  Remembering how she had curled up beside him and laid her head on that chest to sleep.

Pleased at that look, Ben grinned at her.  "Now, how about that bath in the creek you were talkin' about the other day?"  He watched the blush creep across her cheeks.  "I don' think either one of us has any excuse not to do it now.  Come on."

Taking her hand, he led her into the house.  After they had each had a long drink of cold water, they gathered up towels and clean clothes.  Almost as an afterthought, Lacey grabbed a bar of soap on the way out the door.

She was nervous.  It felt as though being in bed with him was one thing, but to have him watching, looking over her body in broad daylight while she took a bath-  And to watch him.  Now, that thought was more appealing.

Ben found a grassy place to drop his clean clothes and towel.  Casually, he removed the shirt and pants he was wearing, watching Lacey unbuttoning her dress slowly.  When he stood naked before her, he stepped over to her side.  "Let me  help you with that, darlin'."

"Ben," she almost whispered, trembling a little as he finished with her buttons, pushing the dress back over her shoulders and allowing it to fall to the grass.  "What if someone comes along?  What if-"

He stopped her with a kiss, removing the rest of her clothes.  "Nobody'll come," he told her.  "An' if they do-  We'll just ask if they'd like to behave like civilized folks an' give us some privacy to get dressed in!"

She laughed, but her eyes were on his unclothed body, examining it with her eyes instead of her hands, as she'd done last night.  There were scars here and there, including one on his chest that looked like burn marks.  As she was putting up her hand to touch it, he cleared his throat.  "Lacey," he whispered huskily, taking the hand that was halfway to his chest.  "We'd better get a bath first, honey."

Blushing furiously, she followed him to the creek, where they waded in up to their waists.

 "Your folks have got a good water supply here."  Despite the reaction of his body to the sight of her, Ben tried to talk about neutral things.  Bending, he submerged himself for a moment, wetting himself thoroughly all the way to the top of his head.

Lacey followed suit, then began rubbing soap over herself.  She had closed her eyes and she was startled when she felt Ben remove the soap from her hand.  "Let me do that."   His voice was low and seductive.

Feeling powerless to resist, she let him take the soap.  Using it and his hands, he soaped her completely from head to foot.  Starting with her hair, he moved slowly down her neck and back--even more slowly over her buttocks and legs.

The slow, languid touch of those hands left Lacey weak.  When he turned her toward him, he began the process again, this time beginning at her neck and traveling leisurely down over her breasts and belly.  He watched her eyes, which were fastened on his, seemingly unable to move, other than to close briefly a few times.

Ben soaped the fronts of her legs, then moved up to her thighs.  He heard her gasp as his fingers moved between her legs, felt wetness that had nothing to do with the cold water.  Maintaining his tight control, he rinsed her body just as thoroughly.

Then, grinning, he handed her the soap.  "Now, you can do me."

Lacey almost dropped the soap as her shaking fingers took it from him, but she calmed as she began her task.  The skin of his neck and shoulders felt warm and firm, and she began to quite enjoy what she was doing.  Following the same path Ben had taken on her body, she moved from his back, over his buttocks to his legs.

Then, when he turned to face her, and she saw the desire and intensity in his eyes, Lacey became jumpy again.  She wondered where those nerves came from, as she began to lather his chest.  After all, she'd been as intimate with this man as two people could be.  It puzzled her,  Along with her nerves, she felt that same ache in her body--a need, a craving for him that had been there all along.

Ben watched her silently, but intently.  Her hands felt soft and warm on him, stirring the same fires inside that he'd been feeling for her all along.  She was thorough with the soap, but she avoided that one part of him that desperately needed touching right now.  Finally, he took her hand and placed it there himself.

Lacey's eyes widened at the feel of him, but he felt her fingers tighten, grasping him.  Impossibly, the ache inside her grew more powerful.  Suddenly, Ben had pulled away from her, ducking beneath the surface to rinse off the soap as quickly as possible.

Leading her to the bank, to the quilt he'd brought along with his clothes, he didn't even allow them time to dry off.  Lacey opened her mouth once to protest again that someone might see them.  Before she could speak, he had covered her mouth with his, exploring it deeply with his tongue, drowning any desire she had to do anything but love him.

Afterward, as they lay drowsing for a few moments, Lacey thought again about Saturday, then firmly pushed it from her mind.  He'd speak to her about it when he was ready.  Sitting up on the warm, wet quilt, she reached for the comb she'd brought with her.

Ben propped himself on one elbow, idly watching her run it through her long, damp hair.  When she'd finished with hers, Lacey moved behind him and began pulling the comb gently through those beautiful brown locks that felt so good, so soft to her touch.  Done, she leaned forward to rest her chin on top of his head and sighed contentedly.

Ben chuckled softly.  "And what was that big sigh for?" he asked teasingly.

"I'm happy," Lacey told him, softly, quietly.

Ben Wade was startled to realize that he felt that way too.  Or, at least, he amended quickly to himself,  he felt content.  It was a strange, new feeling to him and, now that he actually thought about it, somewhat disconcerting.

Abruptly, he rose and began dressing himself.  Surprised, Lacey did the same, watching him anxiously.  He seemed almost angry.  His moods could change so quickly.

"Did I do something wrong, Ben?"

"No."  He pulled on his boots and began gathering the things they'd brought with them.  He smiled over at her and placed a kiss on her lips, watching her button her dress.  "No, darlin'."  His drawl became softer.  "Nothin'.  I think I'm just gettin' hungry."  He winked at her.  "Whether we're workin' or lovin', I build up an appetite around you."

Lacey looked up at the sun, low in the sky.  "Well, it's getting close to suppertime.  I'll make you the best meal you ever had!"  Impulsively, she reached over to wrap her arms around him and hug him.

Back at the house, while Ben lay and rested for a little while, Lacey cooked him a steak with roasted vegetables and all the trimmings.  She'd been right, he thought, as he ate it.  It was the best meal he'd ever had. 

After the cleaning up was done, she brought a book to the table.  Poetry.  She handed it to him silently.  "Read to me, Ben."

"What?" he teased.  "A woman who was a schoolteacher can't read to herself."

"Of course I can!"  Lacey was indignant. "I just like hearing your voice.  It's so deep and…"  She trailed off, not sure how to explain the effect his voice had on her senses.

Ben gave in and opened the book.  As he read, he cast occasional glances at her.  Her hair and eyes shone in the lamplight.  Her face had a look of happiness and peace.  He didn't know how long they sat there, or what time it was when they got up.

At some point, he put down the book, stretched his legs and yawned.  He hadn't been used to as much physical labor as he'd put in today.  He was thinking about bed, and he was in for yet another surprise. 

Tonight, it was Lacey who came to him and led him quietly to the bedroom.  As they lay in the dark, Ben's mind and body felt the most peaceful and content he could ever remember, all the problems and issues surrounding this situation came back to him.  Even as he held her close and enjoyed the feel of her, he knew that this newfound tranquility he was feeling had to come to an end.

Ben was right.  Early the next morning, the quiet, peaceful little world he and Lacey had built around themselves began to unravel.

Chapter Nine