by BA Tortuga
Her shirt came off, leaving her in a tiny black bra, a pair of jeans. Look at her. Les did. Look at her—that was—devouring every bit of her. God, yeah. She was it.
“Still want me?” She stepped closer, her bare belly touching his.
“Every inch.” He pushed his hands up under her breasts, but that bra was in the way. Had to go. His girl was on it, though, popping the hooks free so he could feel her. Her chest was warm, not cold, but her nipples were hard as anything for him. He rubbed his thumbs over the stiff, sensitive bits of flesh, loving the little noise she made when he did. She arched for him, her head falling back a little, and it said something about how much he loved her hair that he let go of her breast with one hand to get the ponytail holder out. There. Perfect.
“Rosie.”
She chuckled, nodded. “Please, cowboy. Love on me.”
“I will. I do.” He cut himself off, not willing to babble anymore. Shit. He just kissed her instead of talking. She crawled up against him, one leg hooking around him.
They rubbed, and he went for her jeans, but they were so close together that he couldn’t get his hands down between their bellies.
“Bed.” Such a smart girl. It would help if she moved, of course.
“Uh-huh.” So he picked her up and moved her. That worked. That little bit of distance got them moved, got them getting naked.
They came back together on the bed, both of them moaning when they touched. God. Yeah. Her skin felt so soft, so good.
“I keep thinking I’m dreaming.” She kissed him, fingers cupping his face, touching his cheeks.
“I keep thinking I’m the luckiest man on earth.” He ran one hand down her back, then down over the curve of her hip.
“Oh…” She arched for him, butt pushing into his touch.
“Mmmhmm. That’s it, honey. That’s it.” He loved the way she moved like this. So unselfconscious.
Her mouth was on his, tongue slipping inside. “Want you.”
“Anything. Anything for my girl.” He pushed her into a better position, spreading her good and wide.
God, she was pretty, pale skin and dark hair, all wanting and sprawled for him.
Les hummed a little, like a starving man at a feast. He kissed her mouth, then her chin, then her collarbone. “So sweet.”
Her heartbeat fluttered, right under his lips, and her nipples were both dark, tight, begging for him. There was no way he could resist those. Les moved lower, taking one sweet nipple between his lips. She moaned so pretty, and her whole body went to shifting, sliding up under him. Les sucked, then licked before blowing some air against her skin. He’d learned how she liked that before, and he remembered every detail.
“Oh. Oh, I.” She arched, pushed right into his mouth and he damn near died. She wanted him, so good.
Les slid a thigh between her legs, his cock rubbing along her hip. Yeah. Oh. Damn.
He could feel her—hot and wet and slick, her curls soft on his leg—and she was feeling him, fingers sliding over his shaft. Moaning a little more, Les rocked, nibbling at her skin. “Inside now, honey?”
“Yes.” She guided him right home, rubbing that tiny bit of nerves with the tip of his cock first, which made them both gasp, shudder.
“Rosie. Oh. Missed you.” Had he said that already? He figured it bore repeating when he pushed inside her. She took him, body wet and slick around him. He loved how she shuddered, how she dug her fingers into his shoulders.
They got a little crazy, both of them making these insane noises, and Les was glad he’d kicked the door shut behind them. The dogs were barking their fool heads off out there. Her fingers scratched down his back, landed on his ass to drag him in deeper and he stopped worrying about the damn dogs.
Les arched into her, his hips moving faster and faster, his balls drawing up tight. He needed her like nothing else on earth. Right now. He got one hand under her butt and tugged her up, just a little bit, and she cried out, bucked hard. Oh, yeah. Right there.
All he had to do now was ride it, keep hitting that perfect spot. She would go off like a bottle rocket.
“Les! Les, love!” Oh, damn. Look at her. Look at his girl. Flushed and hot, spread and pretty beneath him, body fluttering around him.
Les groaned, the sound coming from somewhere near his toes, and he bent to kiss her, his mouth needing to be on hers. He felt every second of her orgasm, and she cried out, right into their kiss.
His body jerked, his cock pushing deep as he came inside her. He couldn’t even hold on long enough to watch her pretty face.
“Les.” She held him close, breath huffing from her.
“Uh-huh. This is the bedroom.”
“I like it.” She smiled at him, corners of her eyes crinkling.
“You like the bed? I know you like it a little softer, so I got one of them pillow-top things.”
Rosie teared up, hand on his cheek. “So good to me, cowboy.”
“What? I wanted to blackmail you into coming up.” He grinned, feeling like he was ten feet tall.
“I couldn’t wait anymore. I needed to be home with you.”
“I’m glad, honey. So glad.” Les kissed Rosie’s mouth, loving the taste of her, the feel of her in their bed. “Welcome home.”
If she cried a little before she curled up in his arms and slept, that didn’t matter one bit.
Not one bit.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Rosie sat at the kitchen table, a steaming cup of tea in her hands. Apparently Hester Anne, who was Les’ sister, had told him to make sure he had hot tea when she arrived. She would need it.
Thank goodness, because the steam soothed her nose and the honey in the tea coated her dry throat. The air here could freeze nose hair in seconds, it was so frigid and arid at the same time.
Les had left her in bed and gone to unload as much of her truck as he could, and Rosie had gotten up to help. Les had carried her back inside, plopped her down, then made her tea. He didn’t seem mad. Maybe… Well, he’d been scared for her, she thought.
When he came in with her big suitcase, he shook off snow and finally took off his hat again. “I tarped up the rest of your boxes, hon and moved your truck under the carport. That ought to keep us until the storm is over.”
“Thank you, love.” She smiled, her chin only quivering a little. “Are you— Did I make you mad?”
“No, honey.” He smiled and it reached his eyes so she knew he was telling the truth. Then he squatted in front of her, taking her hands in his cold ones. “Now, I got something to say, and you need to let me get it out.”
Worry lodged in her belly. “Oh. Okay. What?”
“I love you, sweet lady. I have never been so happy to see anyone. But if you ever pull another harebrained stunt like this one again in my lifetime, I will beat you or something equally crazy, do you understand? You took ten years off my life in the last two weeks.”
“What?” She almost kicked him when she stood abruptly, staring down at him. “What do you mean?”
“Beau called me and told me you were leaving, honey. I was real patient because he said you wanted to surprise me. I didn’t even lose it when you broke down in Omaha. But the flat as the last straw.”
She stared at him, mouth falling open in shock. “You knew? All this time?” Oh, she was going to kick Beau’s ass.
“I did. I’m so proud, and as long as you kept up the ruse I was gonna keep on, but don’t you ever do that to me again. You hear? Never doubt that I want you.”
Rose burst into tears, unable to stop herself. She wept, great, heaving sobs that relieved all the fear and stress of the last ten days. When the storm ended, she slapped his chest, furious that she’d done all this secret stuff for nothing. “I can’t believe you knew and you didn’t tell me!”
“Well, that’s what we get for trying to keep secrets from each other, right?” He stroked her hair, then kissed her forehead. “No more of that, right?”
Rose twined her fingers with his, which had warmed righ
t up. “I promise, cowboy. Never again.”
“Good deal. How about breakfast for supper?”
“Bacon makes everything better,” she agreed.
“You sit, honey. I’ll cook this time. Tomorrow you can make me sweets.”
Rose chuckled, feeling wrung out enough to agree. “You got yourself a deal, cowboy. Bring on breakfast.”
* * * *
Les watched Rosie sleep, so glad she was safe.
He’d fed her, then tucked her in early, and Presley and Iggy had watched over her while she slept until he got the chores done. Good dogs.
Now he had stripped down and climbed into bed with her, her pale skin hidden by layers of sweatpants and sweaters. She’d get used to the cold, and he could turn up the heat.
Tomorrow. Oh, tomorrow he would have a surprise for her that he hoped rivaled the one she’d wanted to give him. He’d waited so long for the right time. Now seemed good.
Poor baby. She was so tired she hadn’t even had a look at the house. He hoped she liked it, for sure. There was still a lot to do, but those things were all little female touches that she would want to put on the place herself. God knew she was good at that.
“Oh, Rosie girl, I swear you’ll never regret it.”
Les bent down to kiss her forehead, and she smiled in her sleep as if she knew he was there with her. Yeah. Tomorrow was the day. He was gonna ask her to marry him.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Rosie laughed at Iggy as he bounded through the snow after Presley, the huge beast fascinated by her baby. The morning had dawned clear and cold and wonderful, and a bunch of hands had come by to unload her truck, the boss’s wife sending down cinnamon buns and bacon enough for a working.
She had a cup of coffee, two pairs of Les’ socks on, and her kitchen unpacked. There was a Texas sheet cake in the oven, a pot roast on the stove, and all she had left to do was unpack her bathroom stuff.
In their pretty house. The house Les had made up for her.
Three bedrooms, a bathroom and a half, a wee baby back porch. The kitchen wasn’t big, but she loved it a little. Maybe more than a little.
God, look at all that white out there.
Les came in the back door, stomping snow off his boots. He stopped short when he saw her, his face splitting in a huge smile. “Hey, honey.”
“Hey, baby. How did the feeding go? Do you want coffee?” God, he was fine as frog hair.
“Cold. But everyone can get through, now.” He toed his boots off. He’d promised her they’d go when the roads cleared and get her a good winter pair.
“There’s pot roast. It’ll be ready in half an hour.” She poured him a cup, handed it over before snatching Presley up in an old towel to dry him off. Snow was wet. And Presley was so furry.
“Smells good, honey. So does the sweet. It’s not candy, though, huh?” The boys had eaten most of the caramels when they’d dropped by to meet her. Les was looking like a hungry cat.
“Not today. I have to go grocery shopping. It’s chocolate cake though.”
“I like cake.” He put his cold hands right on her, right above her jeans on her waist.
“Les!” She squeaked and jumped, landing right in his arms.
“Mmm. See, I have an ulterior motive.” He laughed, rubbing his stubbly cheek against her neck.
She stretched and wiggled, chuckling with him. “I unpacked most everything, got a couple of pictures hung and all. It’s so pretty here.”
“You like it? I can’t wait to take you out. Maybe go riding.”
“I’d love that.” She kissed him, slow and easy, just about perfectly happy.
“We got to go into town, get you outfitted first.” They had to go get groceries and all, too, and he’d promised her a little Christmas shopping. She wanted to get something Colorado for Beau and Sam.
“Sounds perfect.” She kissed the tip of his nose. “There’s a few minutes left on the roast, baby. Come talk to me while I do the last bit of unpacking?”
She didn’t want to miss any time with him, not right now.
“Sure.” He took her hand and let her lead him to the bathroom, settling on the pot with the lid down while she started pulling things out of her train case. “I didn’t do much in here. Figured you’d want to.”
“I like the color a lot, but I think I’ll get a prettier shower curtain.” The room was a sweet pale yellow, but the shower curtain was just a white plastic thing. She was thinking just to add a little sheer on top would be nicer.
She pulled out her makeup kit and got it organized on the counter. Her toothbrush was beside Les’, her hairbrush was in the bathroom drawer and she put her hairdryer under the sink.
“I thought about getting the one with the daisies, but I was worried it would be cheesy.” Les’ legs looked so funny in the tiny room, like they had nowhere to go.
“I like daisies. Maybe we should just have something simple, a little see-through.” She cut her eyes over, glanced at him. “You’re awful fine, all wet in the shower.”
She put her Midol, her birth control pills, and her mousse in the medicine cabinet.
His cheeks heated, and his eyes twinkled at her. “So are you. I like you a little soapy.” Les stood, reaching over her oh-so-casually and grabbing her birth control. Which he then threw in the trash. “We’ll have to get a trash can with a lid, too.”
She arched her eyebrow, her heart going a little faster. “Okay. We’ll pick one up.”
She moved closer to him, right into his arms.
“Those we’re not gonna need anymore.” He grinned, holding her close.
“No? You sure, cowboy?” She could handle that. Les’ babies. She remembered Lindsay saying.
“I’m real sure, honey. You through putting stuff up? I got something to show you.”
“I am.” She shut the medicine cabinet, grabbed the empty box. “Lead the way, Mister Les.”
He grabbed her hand again, and this time he led, back to the front room. He called it the living room. He got into a box next to the fireplace, and he didn’t get down on one knee or anything, but she knew what was coming right off. Rose couldn’t help but smile, though, knowing her cowboy so good. Being his was what she wanted, more than anything.
“I been wanting to ask, but I wanted to wait until we were face to face. I do love you, honey. Marry me?” His eyes crinkled up, and he smiled so sweet.
“Yes, sir. I’d love to.”
“Oh, good.” Les opened the little ring box, and it was a simple gold band with a single diamond. Nothing big and showy, and nothing that would get caught when she worked in the kitchen.
Les was her practical cowboy, so different than Timmy.
She’d had Timmy’s ring turned into a little pendant, a rose with diamond leaves. Les had helped her pick the design. Rose held out her hand. “Put it on me?”
“Yes, ma’am.” He fumbled some, but he got it on her, sliding it on her left ring finger. It sparkled when she turned her hand. “Look at that.”
“Looks like it belongs.” Felt good, too. She liked being someone’s wife.
“It does. Awful pretty.” He brought her hand to his mouth and kissed the backs of her fingers.
“I love you, Les.” Her fingers curled around his.
“Good. It would suck if you didn’t.” Les kissed her on the mouth then, slow and soft.
She stepped close, his fingers easing the clip out of her hair, letting it fall down loose. Les moaned, combing his fingers through the heavy mass. He did love her hair, bless his heart.
The kiss stole her breath plumb away, made her heart beat hard in her chest.
They broke apart when the beeper on the oven went off. Les smiled. “Roast needs to rest.”
“You remembered.” He’d teased her something awful the first time she’d told him that.
“I do. Why don’t you go take it out and I’ll go wash up.” He winked. “I might need you to come help me change my shirt or something. In a minute.”
&nb
sp; He handed her the little ring box and headed for the bedroom. There was a little piece of paper hanging out the back, a piece of the receipt.
She didn’t care about how much he paid, but she couldn’t help but notice that the address was a jeweler in Dallas. He’d bought the ring before he’d ever left Texas.
Rose smiled, settled in her soul. Home. She was home.
Epilogue
The wedding went real well, at least as far as Les was concerned. He didn’t pass out when Rosie came down the aisle. He didn’t make a fool of himself with the first dance at the reception. And he didn’t fall over dead when Ace Porter, the king of the cowboys himself, came to give him their wedding present. Les figured it was bad manners to scream the amount of the check out loud, but that was sure what he wanted to do. He knew his eyes had bugged out like a cartoon, for sure.
Jesus, it was like he’d married into royalty or something.
Rosie was out on the dance floor in her jeans and her white shirt, her hair down and loose, tiny white flowers sprinkled in the dark mass. Beau Lafitte had danced with her, then Krese Peirson and Coke Pharris. Now the four-time entertainer of the year Dillon Walsh was dancing her around, making her laugh.
Look at her.
Everything else went away for a moment, and all he could see was his Rosie. She was so pretty. So his. All official like. He might just break down and blubber he was so proud and happy.
She glanced over at him, those dark eyes landing on him like a touch, and she waved, smiled.
“She sure loves you, Lester.”
Hester Anne settled beside him, looking pretty as a picture in her pink Western shirt and silver buckle with roses on it. All of them in the wedding party had one. Timmy’s mom and dad had insisted. They were amazing folks, and had come to give his girl away since her own momma and daddy had passed on.
“Well, that’s a good thing, huh?” Les grinned at his sister, nudging her with his elbow. “’Cause she married me, and I’m working on getting her knocked up.”
“Man, you are a fucking delicate flower. Mamma’d love you to have babies, sure enough.” She whacked him, hard. “Your boss thinks she’s a miracle worker. A winter wonderland for the bull riding crowd, he says. Renting out cabins, he says…”