Special Assignment: Baby

by Debra Webb

  He wanted to leave…probably. The realization sat like a stone in her heart. She’d heard Austin tell him that his job was finished here. Was he so anxious to flee Montana already? Surely he wouldn’t turn his back on Ryan so easily.

  They had to talk. Sabrina checked the timer on the oven once more and headed toward her bedroom to check on Ryan. There was no time like the present to clear the air. No point in dragging out the inevitable. If he wanted to leave, she would just give Court her blessing. He didn’t have to feel obligated to either her or Ryan. She smiled down at her sleeping child. Her heart overflowed with emotion at just the sight of him.

  I want my son in my life. Court’s words echoed through her. Did he still feel that way now that he’d had a chance to think about the overwhelming responsibility of being a father? Court resented his own father so much, did he fear being one himself? There was only one way to find out. She would simply ask him, she decided as she slipped from the room. And there was no time like the present.

  “Charlie, would you turn that down a little and keep an eye on Ryan for me?” Sabrina paused in the middle of the living room, waiting for Charlie to unglue his gaze from the television set and notice that she’d spoken.

  “Huh?” He looked at her and blinked, confused.

  “Ryan’s asleep, but I want you to keep an eye on him for me. I have to go down to the springhouse and talk to Court. Okay?”

  “Yeah, sure.” Charlie turned down the volume a couple of notches. “Supper ready?” he asked, his gaze once more firmly attached to the ball players on the screen.

  “Not for a while yet.” She smiled. It was good to have Charlie home and acting like his old self. “The timer’s on. If I’m not back when it goes off, just turn the oven off, would you?”

  Charlie nodded. “Tell Court he’s missing a mighty good game.”

  “I’ll tell him.”

  Halfway to the springhouse, Sabrina almost lost her nerve. A long time ago, she had watched Court’s window from hers on so many nights, hoping for a glimpse of him. Had he ever watched for her?

  She doubted it. Well, maybe he had. There had been something between them, she was certain of that. There was something there now, something more than Ryan, but would it be enough to make him stay? She shook off the worrisome thoughts. She would know soon enough. All she had to do was ask. Court wouldn’t lie to her. She looked down at herself and the old cotton, buttoned-up dress she wore. Could a man like Court really want her the way she wanted him? She wasn’t really that pretty. Her breasts were too small, her legs too long. She was too skinny. Sabrina shook off her foolish thoughts. Whatever Court thought, she would soon know.

  When she stepped up onto the porch, the memory of how close they’d both come to dying this very morning slowed her. Ryan and Charlie could have been left all alone. The thought of watching Court die ripped her heart in two. Neely had fully intended to kill both of them. Sabrina closed her eyes. Only Court’s quick thinking had saved them. If he hadn’t made the men from the militia, or at least some of them, think about what they were doing, things might have gone a whole different route.

  There was no “might have” to it. Help had not arrived quite quickly enough. Court was the one who saved them. She owed him her life. She owed him Charlie’s life. And she wouldn’t have Ryan if it weren’t for Court. She owed him everything. She loved him. She wanted him to stay. But would any of that be enough?

  You can’t hold him, child, unless he wants to be held.

  Mrs. Cartwright’s words filtered through her mind. Her elderly friend was right. Court might not want to be held on to. By Sabrina, anyway.

  He could have someone back in D.C. That idea shook Sabrina to the core of her soul. Could he be involved with someone else and still make love to her the way he had the other morning? Surely not. Sabrina cursed herself. Just because their lovemaking had touched her so deeply, didn’t mean it had him. Oh, she had no doubt that he cared about her, in some way, but his feelings might not come anywhere close to the depth of hers for him.

  “Stop stalling, Korbett,” Sabrina scolded. “Get it over with.”

  Sabrina crossed the porch, opened the door and stepped inside. She wrinkled her nose. The place smelled a little musty. She should raise the windows. She blinked, staring at the light for a second before she looked away. She’d forgotten the electricity was still on here. She remembered then that the insurance agency required the power remain on, even if everything inside was turned off and no one lived in the place. Policy rules. Dust had settled heavily onto the sparse furnishings. She’d been too tied down since Ryan had been born to take care of a second house. Always before she’d kept the place in shape.

  But things were different now.

  Sabrina strolled through each room downstairs, but found no sign of Court. She paused at the bottom of the stairs. He was probably in his old room.

  Summoning her courage, Sabrina climbed the stairs and took a left. Sure enough, she found Court right where she suspected he’d be…in his room. He stood on the opposite side, staring out the window he’d opened. He hadn’t turned on the overhead fixture, but the light from the fading day silhouetted him.

  “Did you know that I used to watch your bedroom window at night, hoping I’d get a look at you in something besides jeans and a T-shirt?”

  Sabrina drew up short just inside the door. His admission startled her. “No,” she replied. “I didn’t.”

  “Well, I did.” His voice was like soft velvet, floating across the room and wrapping around her, making her skin tingle from head to toe.

  “And did you?” she asked, her nerves jangling. “Get what you wanted, that is?”

  “Oh, yeah. Several times.”

  His breathy words made her tremble with anticipation. She glanced nervously around the room. The bed was long since gone, sold to a neighbor whose son had outgrown his child-size one. The dresser and bureau remained, dust-laden, in the exact spots they’d sat all those years ago.

  “Were you disappointed?” The question slipped out before she could stop it.

  “No.”

  He turned around, the smile on his face devastating to her heart. “You were gorgeous. You made my heart race like a wild mustang afraid of being captured.”

  She clasped her hands behind her back to keep from fidgeting. “Well, you weren’t so bad yourself,” she confessed. She looked away from the heat she saw in his intense gaze, feigning preoccupation with the meager furnishings.

  He moved toward her. Her heart jumped. “Are you saying that you used to watch me, too?”

  She strolled over to the dresser and made a face at the dusty surface. “I might have.” She glanced up and caught him watching her in the mirror. “On occasion.” Her cheeks flushed with the heat rushing through her. Had she just admitted that little secret out loud?

  He stepped closer. She watched his approach in the mirror, her heart thumping hard against her rib cage.

  “And did you like what you saw?” he demanded, his tone low, husky, filled with a sexual undercurrent that made her shiver in spite of the warm temperature of the room.

  Another step disappeared between them before she found her voice.

  “Mostly.” She licked her lips, her throat incredibly dry.

  “Mostly?” He moved in close behind her now. “What was it you liked, Brin?” He braced his hands on the dresser on either side of her and leaned in so close she could feel his warm breath against her ear.

  She shrugged, embarrassed. How could she tell him that she’d loved every part of his lean young body?

  He tugged at her braid, pulling free the rubber band she’d used to secure it. Her breath caught when his fingers threaded through her hair and loosened it. His gaze on hers in the mirror, he pulled her head back and whispered in her ear, “You can tell me all your secrets, Brin.” His tongue darted out and traced the shell of her ear. She shivered. “And I’ll tell you mine,” he murmured.

  “We need to talk, Court,” sh
e said, her voice wobbly.

  He drew back, looking at her in the mirror, those silvery eyes flashing with the same fever she felt. “We do.” He reached in front of her and started to unbutton her dress. “But first there’s something I need to show you.” His fingers stilled on the third button, his gaze suddenly uncertain. “If you’ll let me.”

  The blood roaring in her ears, she nodded, too afraid to speak. She couldn’t risk breaking this beautiful spell.

  One by one he released each button, until her outdated dress fell open. He slipped it off her shoulders and let it puddle around her ankles. He kissed her bared shoulder, his strong fingers gripping her upper arms as if it took all his restraint to kiss her so gently.

  “You’re beautiful, Brin.” He brushed her hair aside and kissed her neck. “So beautiful.” His hands moved to her breasts, kneading, massaging, sending desire straight to her center. He rolled her nipples between his thumbs and forefingers and she gasped.

  He smiled, still watching. And she watched, the visual image adding to her pleasure. He trailed a path of kisses down her back, until he was on his knees. He slowly lowered her panties. She lifted first one foot then the other for him to remove them. He pushed her dress, panties and sandals away with one sweep of his hand before he stood. His chin came to rest on her right shoulder so that he could look his fill at her in the mirror.

  Sabrina’s cheeks flushed at the sight of her naked body visible in the mirror. His palm flattened on her stomach, making her skin tingle there as he pressed her against him, allowing her to feel the hardness of his own arousal against her buttocks. Heat seared her at the feel of him. She closed her eyes and dropped her head back on his broad shoulder. It felt so good to be held by him.

  “You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever known,” he murmured, kissing her cheek, her closed lids.

  “Don’t lie to me, Court,” she protested, her voice as husky as his.

  He captured her chin and forced her to look in the mirror once more. “Look at yourself, Brin. You are beautiful.” He released her chin and trailed his fingers down the center of her body until he touched her there. “You’re perfect and no matter where I went or what I did, I could never completely put you out of my head.”

  He parted her…slipped one long finger inside her. With his other arm he encircled her waist, holding her firmly against him. “I tried.” He massaged the tiny nub swelling with desire for him and she had to bite her lower lip to keep from crying his name. “And I tried some more.” He nibbled on her neck, his eyes still watching every nuance of her response to his touch. “But nothing worked.”

  “But you didn’t come back,” she argued, her voice strained with the wild pleasure mushrooming inside her.

  “I was a fool,” he murmured against her jaw. “I hurt you because I couldn’t deal with the past. I couldn’t reconcile what I had been with what I wanted to be—the polar opposite of my father.”

  His long finger moved deep inside her, his palm pressing so hard against her, she couldn’t catch her breath for a moment. In and out, he drew on that well of desire at the very farthest reaches of her soul. “Court,” she gasped. “You’re driving me crazy. I can’t think.”

  “Don’t think,” he said harshly, his own need obviously spiraling out of control. “Just feel, and listen.”

  “I was wrong.” He squeezed her breast, tugged at her nipple, all the while keeping up the rhythm that was sending her headlong toward climax. “I was running just like my father, only in a different way. I know that now.” He groaned, his eyes closing briefly, when she instinctively pressed her bottom more firmly against him.

  “Court, please,” she begged. She wanted him to take her. No more talking.

  The fire in his eyes when he opened them once more made her heart skip a couple of beats. “I’m not running anymore,” he growled savagely.

  “Court, I…” Her eyes closed, lights pulsed there.

  He stroked her harder still.

  She shattered.

  Sabrina moaned long and loud as the waves crashed over her again and again. She was vaguely aware that his hands were no longer working their magic. She felt him wrench his jeans open, felt his hard arousal brush against her bottom. A gasp tore from her throat at the silky feel of him.

  Her feminine muscles constricted instinctively, anticipating his penetration. He pulled her bottom firmly against him as he bent his knees just enough to align his tip with the swollen flesh still throbbing from his touch. And then he filled her. The sound of ecstasy was long and low and drained all energy from her, making her sag in his hold. He rocked against her, withdrew slightly, then pushed deep again, stretching her. She called his name, straightened, reaching for him, burying her fingers deep in his thick hair. His left hand flattened against her abdomen, holding her in place, while his right slid down to the place so tight with him. He teased that throbbing nub, doubling the sensations raging along her nerve endings.

  His breath was ragged in her ear, his body so hard she could feel each and every muscle defined against hers. A ripple of pure delight triggered her spasms all over again. She made a sound, almost a shriek. Court reacted, pumping harder, groaning savagely. She forced her eyes open to watch. She wanted to see his face when he reached his own release. To see the truth of his words. Desire shuddered through her when her gaze collided with his. He was watching, his expression so intent her heart squeezed painfully. His fingers dug into her flesh as he thrust into his own climax. Sensations rained down on Sabrina as she went over the edge. He slowed, pouring the last of his scorching release into her. And then he trembled. His arms went tight around her, holding her closer to him, while he remained ensheathed deep within her.

  Attempting to catch her breath, she could only stare at the big strong man who looked so suddenly vulnerable. So completely lost to what they had just shared.

  “I love you, Brin,” he murmured. “I hope you can forgive me.”

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  “YOU’RE SURE ABOUT this,” Sabrina asked Court for the third time the next morning.

  With Ryan held high above his head, Court made exaggerated faces and sounds for his small but captive audience. Sabrina’s heart leapt with emotion at the sight of father and son so engrossed in each other. Ryan snagged Court’s nose, cooing and squealing with delight.

  Court pulled his son close to his chest and kissed him on his silky head. “I’m positive, Brin,” he assured her. “What do I have to do to convince you that I’m serious?”

  Heat flooded her body at the memory of the way he had shown her in no uncertain terms how much he wanted her again last night well after Charlie had gone upstairs to bed. Court had spent the night in her bed, his arms around her. But he’d kissed her and slipped away for a few hours at dawn. He hadn’t told her where he’d gone or what he’d been doing when he returned around ten this morning. In a way, she supposed, it had been for the best. Charlie was at an impressionable age, and Sabrina didn’t want to do anything that might confuse him or make him feel uncomfortable. He’d been through enough with Neely.

  She was well aware that Court was serious about leaving the Bureau. She’d seen the truth in his eyes last night. He loved her. He loved their son. He wanted to stay. But would he be happy as the months and years went by? Or would his heart grow restless again when he’d been here for a while?

  “I love you, Brin.” Court pulled her close and kissed her forehead. “I’m through running from my past. I have a special assignment now—my son. Here, take Ryan. I have something for you.”

  Sabrina cuddled her baby in her arms, cherishing his sweet baby smell.

  “Sit,” Court ordered, gesturing to the couch.

  Obeying, she settled onto the edge of the cushion and put Ryan down on the floor. Grinning, he held on to her knee and started his little bouncing dance. She wiped his chin with his bib and tweaked his cute little button nose. He gurgled his approval and waved his free arm.

  Court knelt on one knee next
to their son. Sabrina smiled at him, thinking that he intended to play with Ryan some more, but Court’s gaze remained fixed on her. Worry drew her lips into a frown. “Is something wrong?”

  He produced and opened a small velvet box. Inside was the most beautiful ring she had ever seen. Her heart galloped, then nearly bucked to a stop. So this explained his little disappearing act this morning. Fierce emotion made speech impossible. She searched his gaze, afraid to believe, more afraid not to.

  “Sabrina, I’d like you to marry me,” he said, his eyes relaying the sincerity of his words.

  Before she could respond, Ryan reached up and grabbed Court’s ear.

  Court pulled Ryan onto his knee. “That is,” he amended, “if it’s okay with our boy.”

  “What if the Bureau tries to change your mind?” Sabrina persisted. “You do love your job.”

  Court dipped his head in acknowledgment. “I do. But I talked to Daniel Austin this morning and he’s asked me to stay on here if I want.” Court shrugged. “I think I’ll eventually fit in. Austin said that Raymond has volunteered to work with us in an effort to diffuse more groups like Neely’s in exchange for probation. I’d like that opportunity. I don’t want what happened here to happen again someplace else. Men like Neely are dangerous.”

  “So you’d work for Austin?” she ventured hesitantly.

  “When he needs me, but mostly I’d be busy getting this ranch going again. And taking care of my family.” He took her hand in his. “We can do it, Brin, I know we can. Please say yes.”