by June Faver
Jenn sat on the edge of her bed and slipped out of the stilettos. She looked up at him, taking in his boots, Wranglers, belt, and shirt. “One of us is wearing entirely too much clothing. Would you like me to help you?”
Cade moistened his lips, momentarily frozen. “Oh, no. I got this.” In a matter of seconds, he managed to shed his shirt, the snaps popping as he tore it off. He stripped his hand-tooled leather belt with the big metal buckle from his belt loops and unzipped his Wranglers. Then he realized he had to get out of his boots, a task he usually accomplished with the aid of the wooden bootjack stored under the edge of his bed.
He stood in his briefs, with an enormous erection and his pants around his ankles. Heaving a sigh, he sat on the edge of Jennifer’s bed and tried to wrestle each of his boots off, but his jeans had slipped down to cover each boot.
“Would you like some help?”
Jenn’s soft inquiry did nothing to deflate his erection. He heaved a deep sigh. “Yes, please.”
But when she leaned over to grab one of his boots, the mere touch of her warm flesh on his leg was enough to cause his senses to riot. He pulled her onto his lap and kissed her with all the passion raging through him.
In the next moment, her arms were around his neck and he unfastened her bra. It fell away, revealing her pert breasts. She shrugged out of the straps and wriggled away from him, dropping the bra beside the bed.
At first he thought she was rejecting his clumsy attempt to make love to her, but when she stood before him, slipped out of her panties, and climbed onto the bed, he had to act.
Cade managed to get his briefs down and crawl onto the bed, boots and Wranglers still hobbling him.
Jennifer stroked her hand over his chest and scooted closer. “Let’s do this.”
With no further preliminaries, she drew him down and wrapped her silken thighs around his torso.
She was wet and rubbed herself against his erection, inviting him to enter. Their coupling was fast and hard and delicious. In a very short time, she arched against him, making a soft moaning sound. He tried to match her sensuous rhythm with his thrusts until they both exploded in a blaze of passion.
He held her tight. They were both breathing hard, but Jennifer trilled out a little giggle. “Oh, I needed that.”
“Me too,” he huffed in her ear.
* * *
Cade hardly slept. He was accustomed to being alone. Sleeping alone.
Now, there was a soft bundle of femininity cuddled against his side, her pretty face on his shoulder. He was in no way a prude, but his sexual experiences had been sporadic—high school and college girlfriends for the most part. Moving back to Langston had put a kink in his love life, because all the local girls were looking for husbands. He’d felt like a prize piece of chum in a shark tank. As a Garrett, his name alone gave him stature as a prime candidate for holy matrimony. Then there was his ranch. Yeah, he wasn’t deluded enough to think the feeding frenzy among unmarried females was due to his outgoing personality.
Just about any place he happened to visit in the town of Langston, he would be greeted by a female with a particular lyrical quality to her voice. He had become used to tensing up when he heard the words “Why, hello, Cade” drawled out with an almost musical cadence. He would lock eyes with some local lovely who was weighing his worth. Nothing personal. Just the same way he sized up a beef cow for possible addition to his herd. Breeding possibilities were checked out. What characteristics would this heifer or bull bring to the herd?
But his unplanned coupling with Jennifer LaChance had been overwhelming. Her slender body had been a surprise. He had thought her slight stature indicated weakness, but little Miss Jennifer was solid muscle. He had no idea what she did to stay in such good shape, but he was properly impressed. When she’d wrapped her satiny thighs around him, he’d been consumed in a wildfire of pure lust. The first round of lovemaking had been phenomenal and started without preamble. It hadn’t lasted long. But the second time…
* * *
Jenn awoke slowly, like she was rising to the surface after a deep dive. She just floated up into wakefulness.
Every molecule of her being was hypersensitive, aware of the incredible man holding her. Her skin touching his skin felt as though they had melded together. Her blood was flowing through the thin membrane separating them and connecting with Cade’s very hot blood.
He had amazed her with his strength, his ardor, and his technique. Not what she had expected from a loner cowboy.
She could feel him watching her. If she opened her eyes, it would break the spell. He would go all strong and silent on her, and she was enjoying the feel of his soft breath against her skin, his strong arms cradling her, and the sensory experience of their flesh pressed together.
She wondered what time it was, but she would have to open her eyes to check the digital clock.
There was the sound of something smacking against the bedroom door. Cade tensed and then drew away.
Reluctantly, she opened her eyes, realizing that the sound she was hearing was one of the children trying to get in. Thankfully, they had locked the door.
Jenn gazed into Cade’s eyes. “Good morning.” She smiled.
His face split into a wide grin. “Good morning, beautiful. Last night was…”
“Yes it was,” she said. “But our little family is expecting me to make breakfast and, of course, change diapers.” Reluctantly, she peeled herself off him but swept her palm across his chest. “You were wonderful.” Jenn dropped a quick kiss on his lips just before she rolled to the side of the bed and stood. She wrapped a robe around herself and tied the sash. “Be back soon.”
She unlocked the door and slipped out. Leo was standing in the hall, gazing up at her. “Hello, Leo. Are you hungry?”
Leo nodded his little head and turned back to the room he shared with his sister.
Jenn recognized the need to have a change of underwear. Thankfully, his were disposable. He had obviously sucked down too much liquid the night before and hadn’t been able to hold it. It didn’t take long for her to change Leo and then she awoke the sleeping Lissy, giving her a similar treatment. She led the two youngsters to the kitchen, where she got them seated in their appropriate chairs, and when she turned back, she found that Cade had recovered his clothing and was standing in front of the stove.
“What does everyone want for breakfast?” He winked at Jenn. “I’m pretty good in the kitchen.”
Jenn giggled. “Really? We’ll have to try that out sometime.” She was delighted when he blushed. Good. Not an overconfident Romeo. A man who did good work. A man who—
“Eggs? Bacon? What can I fix for you?” He gazed at her earnestly.
His expression caused a squeezing sensation in her chest. “That would be wonderful. I was thinking I would make oatmeal in the microwave.”
He just grinned and opened the fridge. “This is not an oatmeal day.” He took eggs and bacon out of the fridge and set them on the counter. “What are you hungry for, Leo?”
Leo sat up straight. “I want ice cweam.”
Cade looked perplexed. “Um, no. I meant what do you want for breakfast?”
Leo cocked his head to one side. “Ice cweam.”
Jenn chuckled. “Uncle Cade means would you like your eggs scrambled or over easy?”
Leo sank back against the seat, appearing to be crestfallen.
“How about scrambled all around?” Jenn asked.
Cade saluted her with the spatula and began laying strips of bacon in the pan.
Something about a man in the kitchen was very endearing. A hot, sexy man in the kitchen? Oh my!
In no time at all, Cade had served up a plate piled high with crispy bacon and another with a pile of fluffy scrambled eggs. He set about making toast while Jenn poured milk into sippy cups.
“Good job, Mr. Garret
t,” she whispered in passing. The expression on his face told her exactly how he was feeling.
Suddenly, she realized she was completely and comfortably in love with the man. Not a roller-coaster thrill ride, but good and solid love that she hoped would be there for a while. She sat down at the table and viewed the tall, broad-shouldered cowboy contentedly buttering toast for her and the children. Like a real family.
She swallowed hard. Are we a family? That thought hit her like a slap in the face. Somehow, just acting as surrogate mother to these two adorable children had changed her—changed her goals and dreams…changed her life.
Grinning broadly, Cade set a plate in front of her. He was obviously proud of his accomplishments.
Leo reached for a spoon and Lissy reached with her fingers.
“Oh, hot!” Jenn said. “Wait just a minute for your eggs to cool a little.” She moved the bowl out of Lissy’s reach and gave a warning glare to Leo.
Leo looked disappointed, blowing out a deep sigh.
“Sorry,” Cade said. “I didn’t know.”
“No problem. I usually dish up their food at the counter, and by the time I set it in front of them, it’s cooled a little.” She flashed a warm smile to soften the rebuff. “It smells wonderful.”
Cade scraped the rest of the eggs onto his own plate and slid the skillet into the sink. His demeanor didn’t seem to be as upbeat as it had before her intervention over the hot food.
After breakfast, Jenn cleared the table while Cade spent a little extra time with Leo. She knew her brother would want his son to have a good role model, and if Jason couldn’t be there for Leo, she was sure glad Cade was standing in.
Cade hung around for most of the morning, but he left to take care of tasks on his ranch. He recovered his good humor quickly after spending time with the children.
Jenn saw him to the door, lingering for a few moments until he took the hint and cupped her face in both hands, delivering a discreet kiss that nevertheless caused her toes to curl.
“Bye,” she sighed.
He gave her a one-sided grin and loped down the steps to climb into his truck.
Okay, now he’s gone. And I want him to come back…now.
Chapter 19
“Now this is my special spot.” Big Jim lowered his voice, speaking in a conspiratorial manner. “It’s my secret place.” He put his finger to his lips, although he and the boy were the only ones within two miles.
Mark’s eyes were shining, and he bore a wide grin. “Don’t worry, Big Jim. I won’t tell anybody.”
Big Jim nodded. “Good, because this is our spot now. Yours and mine.” He handed Mark a fishing pole and settled the can of worms between them. “Do you want me to bait your hook?”
“If you can just show me, sir, I’ll try to do it right.”
Big Jim’s heart squeezed. He had learned that this wonderful young man had never been fishing. Not with his deceased father, and not with his deceased brother. This had ticked Big Jim off considerably, since he had done everything within his power to make sure his three sons had plenty of father-and-son time, sometimes as a group and sometimes one-on-one. He was proud that his boys had grown up to be fine men, and he was determined to make it up to Mark for the shortsightedness of his male relatives. “Looky here, boy,” he said. “You hold the hook this way. Don’t want to get your fingers stuck on the barbs.”
Mark inspected Big Jim’s demonstration carefully.
“And then you reach in and get a worm with your other hand…and you slide him on the hook this-a-way.”
“I see,” Mark said. “I think I can do it now.”
Big Jim made encouraging sounds as Mark baited his hook. “Well, look at you. That was a first rate job, son. Let’s get our hooks in the water and see if we can pull some fish outta this here creek.”
They cast their lines in the gently rippling water and settled comfortably against the trunk of an old oak that had spread its branches like an umbrella, sheltering those below.
“How you doin’ in school, Mark? I know your grades are pretty good, but how is everything else goin’?”
Mark shrugged. “Okay, I guess.” He kept his gaze on the water, his dark lashes hiding his eyes.
Big Jim sensed Mark was keeping his schoolhouse problems to himself. His own sons had never had to deal with bullies. They were big. They were tough. They had each other. And they were Garretts.
But Mark Dalton was the son of a rancher who drank his property away, and then died while it was being foreclosed on. Mark’s older brother had fallen in with some bad company and been murdered. Lots of things for this amazing young lad to be sensitive about. Fuel for bullies.
When Big Jim’s oldest son, Colt, had married Misty Dalton, Mark’s big sister, he brought Mark along with him. Now Mark was a part of the Garrett clan.
Big Jim considered Mark part of the family and treated him as though he was. But Mark was also the last male Dalton left to carry on the name. Big Jim wondered how Mark felt about that status. Was it a badge of honor to be the namesake, or was it a painful burden?
“Beautiful day, ain’t it, son?”
“Um, yes, sir. It is.”
Big Jim decided to try a different tactic, changing the subject to something he knew Mark was passionate about: horses.
“You think that new foal Magic Lady dropped will amount to anything?”
Mark turned to him, eyes alight with enthusiasm. “He’s a beauty, ain’t he?”
“You think?” Big Jim eased back on one elbow, leaving his fishing rod propped against his knee.
“Oh, yeah. He’s got the most beautiful blaze on his face, and white stockings. He’s gonna be a gorgeous mount.”
“So you think he’s worthy of the Garrett Ranch name?”
Mark slanted him a questioning gaze. “Sure. He’s a beautiful animal.”
“I agree. And I think you’re right…so I’m giving you the task of coming up with a name for him. Can you do that for me?”
A wide grin spread across Mark’s face. “Me? I get to name him?”
Big Jim nodded his silvery head. “You betcha. I can’t think of a single person more deserving of the honor. Having you come live on the ranch has been a real pleasure for me. You love horses the way I love horses.”
The tips of Mark’s ears reddened. He was grinning but perhaps a little embarrassed as well.
Big Jim cleared his throat. “You love horses the way Colton loves horses—the way he did when he was a little bitty boy and the way he did as he was growin’ up. Now he loves your sister, Misty, and he loves you, y’know?”
Mark nodded. “I love him too. He’s like a big brother.” His eyes were cast down now, perhaps remembering his real big brother and how different that relationship had been.
Big Jim had cracked the door open, and now he was weighing the merit of going forward. He cleared his throat again. “You could be his little brother, if you wanted to.”
Mark gazed at him, dark eyes filled with questions.
Big Jim struggled to retain a casual tone to his voice. “You know…I could adopt you, and you could become my son and Colt’s brother.”
Silence.
“But only if you want, of course. No rush. Just think about it and let me know if this is something you might like to happen.” Big Jim sat up abruptly. “Oops! I think I got a bite.”
* * *
“I just don’t feel confident about advising them, Cami.” Breckenridge T. Ryan tilted his favorite coffee mug up and drained the last of the liquid.
His wife, Camryn, the local doctor, was headed into Langston, expecting a full day of caring for the locals. But because her husband had a frown on his face and she suspected he needed to use her as a sounding board, she lingered at their home, hoping to provide some of that care to him.
She poured him a second
cup of coffee and one for herself. “I can’t recall a time when you’ve claimed to lack confidence.” She reached for a packet of sweetener. “Tell me what’s got you buffaloed.”
Breck blew out a deep breath. “It’s the airstrip. The kids who inherited it haven’t got a clue.”
Cami gave out a little chortle and took a sip of her brew. “And they think you do?”
“They’re thinking about selling out, and I told them I would help.” Breck raked his fingers through his thick, dark hair.
“Help them sell? Are you crazy? We need that airstrip.”
“Well, I know that, but I have to represent the heirs’ best interests.” He paused. “I honestly don’t see either Cade Garrett or Jennifer LaChance having the chops to be able to manage the business or have the knowledge to support the community interests.”
Cami’s brows drew together. “Breck, we have to have that airstrip open. The medevac helicopter is stationed there. Everyone in the area needs to have this service available in case of an emergency. I’m in that helicopter at least a couple of times a month. There are lives at stake here.” She was aware her voice had risen in timbre.
Breck reached over to cover her hand with his own. “I understand how you feel, honey. Maybe the sale will bring about an improvement. Maybe the new owner will be competent and care about the community.”
“Hmph!” Cami swirled the coffee remaining in the bottom of her cup. “Maybe that land will go to someone who doesn’t give a flip about the residents of Langston. Maybe they just want that huge tract of land.”
Breck’s steady gaze had a calming effect. “Maybe you’re right.”
“Oh, Breck. That’s a horrible thing to even contemplate.”
“I know. I contacted a commercial real estate broker in Dallas, and while he doesn’t have the property listed, he’s discreetly offering the possibility that it may come on the market. He said he has multiple interested parties immediately.”