Tupelo Gold: Sweeter Than Honey Read online

  Eclipse Heat Awards

  Quincy’s Woman ~ BEST WESTERN of the year…” ~Miz Love Loves Books.

  Intimate Strangers ~WINNER- EPIC AWARD-Best Western and Best Erotic Western

  Wolf’s Tender ~ FINALIST- COVEY AWARD

  Five Card Stud ~ WINNER- PASSIONATE PLUME AWARD, Best Erotic Western; FINALIST, EPIC AWARD

  What the Reviewers are saying…

  “… great landscape, awesome characters, a plot with lots of substance, and best of all, plenty of outstanding sex. L.T. Blue ~ Just Erotic Romance Reviews

  “…intriguing suspense, a sizzling hot romance, and an insightful exploration of the building blocks of marriage. Definitely a keeper to be read again and again.” Carol~ Love Western Romances.

  “…grabs you by the heart and reels you in… an excellent and enchanting novel.” Tahlia ~Joyfully Reviewed

  “…Sivad delivers a most wonderful kind of serendipity.” ~ Mrs. Giggles

  Tupelo Gold

  Gem Sivad

  Comfort Parker Bailey Quince wears her string of names with pride. Before she married Owen Bailey, she was a Parker, from Perry County, Alabama. She wasn't one of the highfalutin branch. Comfort belonged to the scrabble in the dust, do anything to survive including sell herself for food, poorer side of the Parker clan. But, she dreams of being rich someday and studies a copy of Godey's Lady's Book, determined to learn the mannerisms of her more affluent relatives.

  Though her tall, curvaceous figure, creamy skin, and thick wavy hair might be considered an advantage by some, her beauty often proves more of a curse when she's forced to outwit men in order to survive. After Comfort's abusive husband is killed, her friend, a respected local rancher named Hamilton Quince, sweeps her into a second marriage with the assurance he'll always love and protect her.

  But, Comfort's plan to continue as a business woman residing in town, abruptly comes to a halt. Hamilton produces a ready-made family and expects her to move with them from her Eclipse boardinghouse to his VERY rustic cabin on the Double-Q ranch.

  Her head tells her to end the marriage, she’ll be better off on her own. But she’s fallen in love with her husband and leaving him isn't that easy. After years of scheming to get rich, Comfort Parker Bailey Quince has finally found treasure more precious than gold.

  COPYRIGHT

  This ebook is licensed to you for your personal enjoyment only and may not be sold, shared, or given away.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the writer’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  *****

  Tupelo Gold

  Copyright © 2016 by Gem Sivad

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

  No part of this publication may be used, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in articles or reviews. Manufactured in the United States of America.

  Published by Gem Sivad, LLC

  Editor: L. Smithers

  Cover Design: Kristian Norris

  Sivad, Gem (2016-05-03).

  Gem Sivad LLC. Kindle Edition.

  With the exception of quotes used in reviews, this book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from the publisher, Gem Sivad, LLC.

  Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded or distributed via the Internet or any other means, electronic or print, without the publisher’s permission. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000. (http://www.fbi.gov/ipr/). Please purchase only authorized electronic or print editions and do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of copyrighted material. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

  This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously.

  Trademarks Acknowledgement

  The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction:

  Stetson: John B. Stetson Company

  Table of Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Five Card Stud

  An Excerpt from Five Card Stud

  More Books by Gem Sivad

  A Note from the Author

  Prologue

  Bailey’s General Store, Eclipse, Texas 1876

  Comfort Bailey stood behind the counter of the general store, trying to find reasons to stay rather than close up for the day. Owen might already be at home. Her evening depended on what kind of mood he’d be in, or whether he’d stopped at the saloon before going to the house. Lately, his drinking had worsened his violence. Her body bore the marks of his latest rampage.

  The bell over the front door jangled, alerting her that she had one last customer and a reason to stay. She’d looked up, her smile growing warmer when she saw who it was.

  Hamilton Quince closed the door behind him. “Glad I made it before you locked up.”

  She’d already closed the register for the day but she’d open it back up if need be. He hadn’t been to the store for more than two weeks and she’d missed seeing him.

  “You’re back.” She couldn’t hide the delight in her voice as she gazed at the local rancher. Even his smile couldn’t soften his harsh features. And yet she’d found him to be the gentlest of men.

  “Brought you a surprise.”

  As happy as Comfort was to see him, she felt equally flustered and embarrassed for him to see her. She’d worn a high collared dress that covered the bruising on her neck where she’d been choked, but her lip hadn’t completely healed.

  She tried to ignore Hamilton’s frown when he saw the result of her latest encounter with her husband’s fists. Unlike others, he hadn’t presumed to tell her what she should do or how she should do it.

  Any lectures or warnings delivered to Owen served no purpose other than riling him into beating her again. Since besides being a brutal thug, he was also the sheriff, there was no help to be had from anyone.

  Comfort wasted no time thinking about Owen during her precious moments with Hamilton. While she gorged her senses on the gruff man who treated her so tenderly, he pulled a handkerchief from his shirt pocket and carefully unfolded it.

  “Thought of you when I ran across this in a Wichita mercantile,” he said, and handed her a vial of amber liquid.

  “What is it?” She tilted the glass container and watched viscous gold flow from one end of the tube to the other.

  Comfort didn’t really care if the gift had any purpose more than being lovely. Relief warmed her cold bones, assuring her she wasn’t completely without friends. Hamilton had thought of her while he was gone.

  “Open it,” he urged.

  She removed the stopper and discovered beads of amber clinging to the wooden dipper inside.

  “Taste it.”

  Comfort looked at it doubtfully, bu
t he took the dipper from her and dabbed a drop on her damaged mouth. Tentatively, she’d touched her tongue to the bead, then licked it from her lips, closing her eyes to better analyze the flavor.

  “This is lovely,” she murmured. “To taste such…”

  She inhaled, amazed at how the subtle essence carried a delicate fragrance as well as a hint of cinnamon. The underlying tang, made her think of lush forests with exotic flowers scenting the air.

  “Is it honey?” she’d asked.

  “It’s tupelo honey. Honeybees in the swamps along the Apalachicola River valley produce it from the blossoms on the tupelo tree. It’s smoother and sweeter than regular honey.” His description, delivered in his deep gravelly voice, insinuated more, as if he spoke of her not the amber liquid in the vial.

  Comfort blushed and stared at the counter. He took her breath away. She wanted to throw herself into his arms and beg him to take care of her. Instead, she closed her eyes, breathing the scent and taste of him, memorizing the feel of his rough hand brushing her cheek.

  He cupped her chin and tilted her head, so she had to meet his gaze.

  “It’s called Tupelo Gold, sweetheart. Because it’s sweeter than honey and more precious than gold. Like you are, Comfort.”

  It was a declaration of sorts. She should have seen it coming. He didn’t want to be friends. He wanted sex. For ten years, since her fifteenth birthday, she’d weathered countless crude remarks, unsolicited advances, necessary encounters, and Owen’s fists. But she’d refused to feel any of it. Hamilton had come bearing gifts and stolen her heart.

  Should she simper? Bat her eyes. Lean into him?

  “You’re crying. I didn’t mean to—”

  “What? What did you mean? I’m a married woman on my own most of the time. I know what that means to a lot of males. I thought you were different.” She tried to jerk her chin from his callused palm.

  “I want you to let me love you,” he said fiercely.

  “You mean, you want to fuck me.” When her crude response only made him smile, she continued. “Here? Behind the counter? In the backroom? Let’s see, you come to Eclipse once every two weeks?” She shrugged. “Love twice a month. How tempting.”

  “I built us a cabin on the Double-Q. The place where I located has a hot spring bubbling out of the ground and plenty of privacy for bathing.”

  When she remained silent, her lips pressed tightly together to still their trembling, he leaned down, feathering a light kiss across her bruised mouth.

  “Comfort, my brother and I are fighting to stay afloat, we’ve got rustlers stealing us blind, and with Quincy’s woman gone, we’re raising two kids, as well. I’ve got nothing to offer you but me and the promise I’ll never hurt you.”

  It was enough.

  Chapter One

  CQ Mercantile, Eclipse, Texas 1884

  Comfort stood behind the counter of the CQ Mercantile wrapping a piece of honeycomb in waxed paper. “You’re my best customer for this, Beau.”

  “Yes ma’am, I’ve got a sweet-tooth for sure.” The lanky youth’s drawl was surprisingly shy as he paid for his treat.

  Comfort would have liked to spend longer talking to the boy but the McCallister brothers came into the store right then. Beau Beauregard gathered his purchase up fast, moving quickly to get out of their way.

  “Been poaching our territory again, I see.” Deacon, oldest of a trio of McCallister bounty hunters, snarled at Beauregard. He seemed intent on provoking a fight with the younger man.

  Comfort had no intentions of letting a brawl happen in her store. Her lips parted ready to remind her customers to behave. Her intercession became unnecessary when Beau remained cool and shrugged off McCallister’s accusation.

  “Big place, lots of bad guys. You ain’t hurtin’ none from me sharin’ your space. I’m just prunin’ the field, so to speak. Guess it sticks in your craw I beat ya to this one.” With his taunt in place, Beau bobbed his head at Comfort and sauntered away.

  Deacon followed Beauregard, leaving Comfort alone with Sam McCallister.

  “What in hell has got into Deak?” Sam growled. From his expression, she could see his consternation.

  Since she’d been waiting for an opportunity to speak to Sam alone, Comfort took advantage of Deacon’s absence.

  “Sam, do you have any word yet on that job you did for me?” When her voice came out in a reedy whisper, revealing her dread, she cleared her throat, trying to appear calm.

  “You sure you want to know?” Sam asked quietly, studying her.

  So Hamilton has found another woman. Comfort’s vision clouded for a moment and she blinked away tears, afraid she might actually swoon.

  “I need to know, I don’t want to know.” And that was certainly the truth. She didn’t want to know that her husband had engaged in an illicit relationship with another woman. But the one thing Comfort Parker Bailey Quince prided herself on, was accepting reality.

  I own my business and I can manage alone. She didn’t need Hamilton’s money to survive. But the thought of losing him left her insides twisting in agony.

  “He’s been visiting a woman named Mary Blain. Every time he rides to Wichita to transact cattle business, he stops there.” Sam remained expressionless when he gave her the bad news.

  She’d been expecting it. Hamilton was more attentive to her now than ever before, but she’d sensed wrongness in their relationship. Part of her was furious but a much deeper sadness underscored her mood.

  “Is she beautiful?” Comfort straightened her shoulders, reclaiming her composure.

  “Easy women all look the same.” Sam grimaced, hesitating a moment before adding, “He’s got a son by that woman.”

  Comfort swayed on her feet, ready to collapse. She’d known in her heart that Hamilton was seeing someone else. But…

  “How much do I owe you Sam? I can’t say thank you for the information, but I needed to know.” She clenched her hands rejecting pity if he showed it. She needed to conclude their business before she broke down and cried before him.

  “Reckon someday I might need a favor. We’ll just keep the account open for now.” The handsome bounty hunter with the face of a fallen angel handed her his list of supply needs as he changed the subject and eased her back into self-control.

  There was no absence of work to keep her busy. Shelves needed stocked, inventory counted, and finally the day’s receipts tallied. Though she usually enjoyed her labors, the hours until closing time crawled by like years. Not until she wrapped the waxed paper tighter around the honeycomb she’d had out earlier, did she allow herself the grief she’d suppressed all day.

  Her lips trembled, fighting the pain of Hamilton’s betrayal as she remembered his first gift. He’d brought her honey, but not a slab like Beau had purchased earlier. He’d given her a vial of amber he’d called Tupelo Gold.

  Transfixed by the memory, Comfort stood with bowed head and tears on her cheeks, reliving the moment she’d fallen in love with Hamilton Quince.

  In the eight years since, she and Hamilton had faced hell together and experienced heaven in each other’s arms. It would destroy her to believe it had all been a lie.

  * * * * *

  “Why that rat-bastard.” Comfort’s sister, Naomi McCallister, didn’t hold back. She set aside her usual proper speech to tear into Hamilton’s behavior and then his character.

  “I can’t let you talk like that about Hamilton, Naomi. I understand why he did it. You know he wanted a son and I can’t give that to him.”

  Understanding didn’t stop the pain of knowing that her husband had sought out another woman to give him what Owen Bailey had stolen from both of them. Though she’d survived her late husband, his last brutal beating had rendered her incapable of having a child.

  Hamilton had said it didn’t matter. Now she understood why.

  “Well, what are you going to do?” Ever practical, Naomi asked the question that was foremost on Comfort’s mind.

  “I don’t k
now.” It was a poor response but the truth.

  “He’s an adulterous pig.” Naomi was seething with anger at Hamilton’s unfaithfulness.

  “How can I condemn him for adultery? I was married to Owen when Hamilton and I became lovers.”

  “Oh.” Naomi’s eyes grew round at this information. There were gaps in her knowledge of Comfort since they’d been separated for over a decade. But ever the supportive sister, she confided, “Charlie Wolf and I had intimate relations before we wed.” Her disclosure tinged her cheeks pink and made Comfort smile. Her plain sister had bloomed under her husband’s attentions.

  “This is my punishment for being unfaithful to my vows.” Comfort shuddered, hearing Bailey’s brutal laughter in her mind.

  “Nonsense,” Naomi brushed that aside as though a minor consideration. “Owen Bailey was an abusive animal and we’re all glad he’s dead. But Hamilton…”

  The women stared at each other sharing the pain of his deception. “I’ll have Charlie Wolf talk to him.” Naomi promised the services of her husband without hesitation.

  “No,” Comfort disagreed. “I don’t want the world knowing about my problems.”

  “Charlie Wolf isn’t the world. And since his cousin Sam McCallister already knows, one more McCallister knowing won’t hurt. Charlie will straighten this out. I don’t understand this at all. Hamilton loves you, Comfort.”

  “I thought he did,” Comfort agreed. “But he wanted a son.”

  The heart of the problem stretched before them. Neither woman doubted that the pragmatic rancher might have secured an heir in spite of his wife’s inability to give him one.

  “When does he get back from this trip to Wichita?” Naomi wasn’t good at subtlety.