by Diana Palmer
Hawk slid his fingers into her loose curls, holding her to him. “Good night, Kate.” He kissed her hair.
Kate sighed with contentment. “Good night, Hawk.” Closing her eyes, she immediately began to drift.
The marriage was consummated. It was her last thought before drifting into a deep sleep.
Ten
Hawk had set aside four whole days for them to honeymoon. They didn’t spend the entire four days in bed, or even three days. But they did spend three of those days in the house, hanging out, reading, eating, having sex, unbelievable, breathtaking sex.
The fourth day they went outside. Unlike the mild, warm October days in Vegas, in the mountains there was a definite chill in the air in the afternoon and the nights were cold, a harbinger of approaching winter.
Hawk had mentioned showing her his horses, at least some of them. She had no idea he had so very many. Kate supposed she should have realized this, as Vic had told her that Hawk bred beautiful horses.
It was a glorious autumn day. There was a nip in the air, but the sunshine was brilliant in a gorgeous deep blue sky. The leaves on the mountain’s deciduous trees had begun to fall but the sight was still spectacular.
Caught up in the beauty of this valley nestled in the mountain range, Kate was startled when Hawk, curling his hand around hers, broke her reverie.
“We’re having company, Kate,” he said, turning her a half step.
In the near distance Kate saw two men riding toward them. “Your men?”
“Yeah,” he answered, raising a hand in a welcoming wave. “Coming to meet the Mrs., so please stay in wife mode.”
“Well, of course,” she said, both hurt and mad, glaring up at him. She could have saved herself the display of annoyance, because beneath the wide brim of the Western hat he had settled on his head before leaving the house, his gaze was fixed on the riders. She now knew the reason he had at times reach to touch a brim that wasn’t there while he was in Vegas.
Before he had donned his hat, Hawk had plopped one on her head. Now she was glad he had, as the wide brim shaded her eyes from the dazzling sunlight.
The two riders slowed to a walk as they drew near her and Hawk and pulled up a couple of feet in front of them. Jumping down from his mount, a middle-aged man of medium height and with a sturdy body strolled over to Hawk, his hand outstretched.
“Mornin’, Hawk. Ted and I came to meet the wife. I hope we’re not intruding.”
Hawk gave them a droll look. “Figured,” he drawled, turning to her. “Kate, I want you to meet my foreman, Jack, right here, and Ted, the fellow next to Jack, is the best wrangler in the state.”
She smiled and nodded at both men. “Jack, Ted, I’m pleased to meet you both.” She noticed that Ted was younger than Jack, taller and as slim as a whip.
“Nice to meet you, ma’am,” the men said in unison. “We were wonderin’ when the boss here was goin’ to find a good woman to keep ‘im in line,” Jack added.
Kate laughed. “Needs to be kept on a short leash, does he?” she said, grinning up at Hawk.
“Yessum, Ms. McKenna,” Ted chimed in. “The boss here has a tendency to work too hard.”
“That’s right,” Jack confirmed. “Forgets there’s more to livin’ than babyin’ horses.”
Kate laughed, already liking the men.
“Okay, you two, knock off the comedy and get back to work.” Hawk interjected. “I’ll be with you in a little while.”
Both men chuckled, then remounted and rode off in the direction of a pasture with a good number of horses moving around in it. Jack called back, “Take your time, Hawk, if you have better things to do.”
Hawk shook his head. Kate smiled. “I like your men, Hawk,” she said. “They seem very nice.”
“They are good men,” he said. “You’ll be seeing them again this Saturday. We’ve invited them to a reception, of sorts.”
Kate shot a startled look at him, but he continued speaking.
“Ted and his wife, Carol, and Jack and his daughter, Brenda, will be here Saturday evening, after we’ve packed it in for the day. Jack’s been divorced for close to seven years now. Brenda has spent most of her summers here, at least five, during those years. Carol’s a lovely woman. She and Ted have been married two years.” He arched that same brow again. “Okay?”
“Okay what?” she asked. “Okay that we have a reception or okay that Ted and Carol have been married two years?” Somehow she managed to keep a straight face.
Now he shook his head in despair at her. “Can you ride?”
“Yes, I can.” She put on a haughty expression. “Rather well, too. But first I have a question.”
“Shoot,” he said.
“Do you … we … have the makings for a party on Saturday night?”
“Plenty of stuff in the pantry and freezer,” he answered. “And plenty of beer, wine and soft drinks. Do you have any favorite foods?”
“I’ll give it some thought.” She smiled. “Now I’m ready for a ride.”
“Good.” Taking her hand, he led her to the stables. “Let’s saddle up, and I’ll give you a short tour of the place before I get to work with the men.”
Walking by Hawk’s side to the stables, Kate was struck by the sudden realization of how completely different her life and lifestyle had been since leaving Vegas. Where she used to sleep in because of working the late hours, now she was up before dawn to prepare Hawk’s breakfast. At first, she wasn’t too happy about it, but now she enjoyed cooking for him, watching him dig in to the food she had made.
Hawk needed to spend time on ranch chores despite the honeymoon, and he always showered before dinner. He came to the table smelling of shaving cream and pure male. Before the first week was over, Kate was showering with him while the evening meal simmered.
“So, what do you think?”
The sound of his voice drew her from bemusement and Kate glanced up to look at the horse he was saddling. He had picked out a gentle roan mare for her and told her Ted had named the mare Babycakes. Kate was happy with his choice and the name. She was surprised when she saw the horse he saddled for himself. It was the biggest horse she had ever seen, other than draft horses.
As they trotted side by side to the pasture, one of several she later learned, she felt like a child on a pony next to Hawk on the tall, sleek animal.
As they circled around, both she and Hawk waved to Jack and Ted as they worked the horses, before heading on to the pasture beyond.
With the sunlight playing on their sleek coats, the horses looked beautiful, well kept and cared for. “Have you always been a horse man?”
Hawk smiled. “Yes, I fell in love when my father bought me my first horse, a filly.” He slanted his head, his smile morphing into a grin. “And here comes my second animal love.” Pulling up his mount, he jumped down and turned just as a large animal streaked by Kate’s horse and leapt straight at Hawk.
“Hawk, watch out …” Kate cried just as the animal made the jump. Fear caught her breath. Gulping in air, she couldn’t believe her eyes or ears.
Hawk was on the ground, laughing. She could now see that the animal on top of him was a very big dog. The dog’s tail was swishing back and forth a mile a minute, its tongue lapping every inch of Hawk’s face.
“Yeah, Boyo, I love you, too, but get off me now. You’re crushing my ribs.”
To Kate’s surprise, the dog immediately jumped to the side, as if he understood every word. Hawk ruffled the dog’s wiry-looking coat before getting to his feet. Walking to the side of her horse, he grinned up at her.
“Boyo?” was all she said.
He laughed. “Yep, Boyo. It’s Irish slang for boy.” The dog came to stand next to him. Hawk placed his hand on the dog’s large head. “This is the Irish wolfhound I told you about.”
Kate gave the dog a dubious glance. “Does he resent competition?”
Hawk caught on at once and grinned at her. “No, or at any rate, he tolerates it, and that incl
udes every person on the property.”
The sigh Kate exhaled wasn’t all show. “That’s a relief. He’s kind of frightening.”
“Nah,” Hawk said, shaking his head. “He’s a pushover for anyone willing to scratch his head.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” she said.
Nevertheless, she made sure she didn’t ride too close to Boyo on the way back to the stable. This time Kate noticed a large white circle between the stable corral and the pasture.
She looked at Hawk. “Is that a helipad over there?”
“Yes, I put it in for rescue purposes, in case of an emergency with either the people or the animals.”
“Do you own the chopper?” she asked as she dismounted.
“No, I use a rescue service,” he explained as he jumped off his horse. “But I could fly a chopper. I flew a Black Hawk in the service, and I practice now and again.”
“Cool,” she quipped, giving him a high five.
Kate learned that her wariness of the dog was unnecessary once they were in the house. Boyo nudged her leg with his long snout twice until she hesitantly lowered her hand to his head to give him a brisk scratch. He was immediately her best friend. Kate fell in love with the big, ferocious-looking baby.
Kate spent the next few days getting ready for the reception. While Hawk was outside working with his men, she prepared numerous dishes. Some she had found in his cookbooks; others she had learned from her mother.
She was nervous Saturday evening, before their guests arrived. Hawk came into the house and brushed his mouth over hers on his way to the bathroom for a shower. As he swept by, she caught a whiff of fresh air, horse, sweaty male and Hawk’s personal scent. For a moment, she was tempted to join him in the shower.
Kate gave a heartfelt sigh. Living with Hawk was so good … but it was not permanent. The physical life they shared in bed almost every night was wonderful. His sudden quick kisses made her head spin. She knew she wasn’t falling in love with him, because she was fathoms deep already.
She knew Hawk loved kissing her, making love with her, but she also knew he was skeptical about the very word love. He simply didn’t believe in romantic love, the forever after kind. She wished.
The realization of time passing sent her back into the kitchen. Hawk was beside her in record time. “How’s it going? Can I do anything to help?”
“Fine and no,” she answered, stirring the mouthwatering, aromatic beef barbecue, one of her mother’s recipes.
“Lordy, that smells good, and I’m starving.” He caught her chin in his hand to turn her to face him. “Hungry, too,” he murmured, kissing her senseless.
Kate shoved him away after a few heavenly minutes. “I’ve got to get this together,” she said, grabbing a breath between each word. “Pitch in, lover.”
Hawk gave a fake shudder. “Oh, Katie, hearing you call me lover turns me on.”
“Later,” she said, flashing a smile at him. “Right now I do believe our guests have arrived.”
“I’m going to hold you to that,” he said, moving away from her.
“I certainly hope so,” she replied, laughing as he tossed a wicked grin back at her.
The reception was wonderful. Everyone chattered, laughed and even sang. Kate liked Carol at once. She was young but mature with a great sense of humor.
After Carol, Hawk led Kate over to Jack to introduce her to his daughter. Brenda was a pretty girl, in her late teens, Kate judged.
With a murmured “excuse me, ladies,” Jack wandered to where the men were gathered, Hawk handing out cans of beer.
“I’m glad to meet you, Brenda,” Kate said, extending her hand to the girl.
“Likewise,” the girl replied, a sweet, miss-innocent smile on her face as she took Kate’s hand in a crushing grip.
Managing to keep from wincing in pain, Kate tightened her own fingers harder around the girl’s hand.
Glaring at her, Brenda gave in, withdrawing her hand.
Despite the tingle of pain in her fingers, Kate met Brenda’s glare with a serene smile. “Now, if you will excuse me, I have to check on the food cooking on the stove.”
Oh, boy, Kate thought, making her way to the kitchen. In her estimation, Brenda was walking, talking, snotty trouble. There was something sly and petulant about her that sounded an alarm inside Kate’s mind. But why had the girl targeted her? Hawk’s soft laughter came from across the room.
Of course. Kate sighed. Brenda was infatuated with Hawk. Kate couldn’t blame Brenda. Hawk was all the things of many women’s dreams, but he was way out of the young girl’s league.
A sense of foreboding rippled through Kate, a warning of unpleasant things, scenes to come.
The festivities lasted long into the night. Finally, but reluctantly, the party broke up. Kate stood next to Hawk on the porch, grateful for his arm around her to ward off the night cold, still talking to the others as they made their way to their vehicles.
“You throw one hell of a party, lady,” Hawk said, praising her efforts once everyone had left. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome, and thank you for the compliment, sir.” Standing on tiptoes, she kissed him on the side of his sculpted, hard jaw. “Now you may help me clear the mess away inside.”
“Aw, gee, Kate,” he groused like a kid. “Can’t we leave it till morning? I gotta work, ya know?”
But Hawk pitched in right beside her, heaving deep, put-upon sighs every few minutes. By the time they were finished, Kate was laughing. She wasn’t laughing a short time later, after they were in bed. She was crying out in delicious pleasure.
Kate had dinner ready for him when he came in to eat as the sun went down the next day. While he dug into his food like a starving man, they did a postmortem of the reception the night before.
“I like your friends,” she said, handing the dish of mashed potatoes to him for a second helping. “And I could tell at once that they are friends as well as employees.”
Nodding, Hawk swallowed before replying. “They are,” he said. “Good thing, too, especially during the winter months. We get together often….” He smiled and took another roll from the bread basket. “If we didn’t, we’d likely all get antsy with cabin fever.”
Kate laughed and gave him an arch look. “And here, all this time I was thinking you were a loner.”
“I don’t mind being alone,” he said, picking up his coffee cup. “Fact is there are times I prefer it.”
“Like when you want to read?”
“Yes, and when I’m watching football.”
“Uh-huh.” Kate tilted her head, fighting a smile. “Is this your way of reminding me there’s a game on tonight and you don’t want to be bothered?”
“No, because you don’t bother me.” Standing, he took both their plates, carried them to the sink and came back to the table with the coffee carafe. “Do you like football?”
“I can tolerate it,” she admitted. “But I’d rather read.”
He was pensive a moment. “I could go into the bedroom to watch the game on the set in there,” he offered, pleasing her with his thoughtfulness.
Kate was shaking her head before he’d finished. “That’s not necessary. If I’m into a story, I don’t even hear the TV unless it’s blaring.”
“It won’t be.” Hawk slanted a slow smile at her. “I could watch the game in the living room and you could read your book in bed,” he suggested.
Kate laughed. “No, you may watch in the game in bed. I can’t get comfortable reading in bed.”
He heaved a sigh. “Will you sit next to me and read if I watch the game while sitting on the sofa?”
“I will if you’ll refill my cup,” she said, reminding him he was still standing there with the carafe in hand. “Can we get back to our discussion about the reception now that our seating arrangement for tonight has been confirmed?” She grinned.
He grinned back, causing a melting sensation inside her. “Sure we can.” He frowned. “Something about it on you
r mind?”
“Well … it’s about Brenda.”
Hawk groaned. “What about her? Was she rude to you? Did she insult you in some way?”
“Not exactly.” Kate paused, searching for the right words. “I tried to draw her into a conversation. She seemed so, oh, I don’t know, almost sullen.” She sighed. “She wasn’t very responsive.”
He drew a deep breath. “I was going to talk to you about Brenda. I should have done it before the party. She is, and has been for some time, a pain in the neck and parts south.” He ran his fingers through his long hair, loosening it from the leather thong.
Kate smiled at his ruffled strands of hair. His expression serious, Hawk untied the thong and shook his head, freeing the long locks.
“As I was saying,” he went on, ignoring her obvious urge to laugh, “Brenda has been coming to the ranch for a long time. When she was younger, she was a high-spirited kid. Jack and I taught her to ride.” He grimaced. “When she arrived here after graduating from high school, a year ago this coming summer, she was different.”
“In what way?”
“Kate, the only way to describe it is that she began hanging around me too much.” He shook his head. “Understand she had always hung around, but that summer it was different. At first I thought she was just using me to practice her wiles to use on younger men. But it wasn’t that. She started accidentally brushing against me … with her breasts, touching me, hugging me.” His smile was wry. “I’m not stupid. Her actions were not the same as when she was a young girl. She was coming on to me. I did talk to Jack about it before I left for Vegas, and he assured me he’d take care of it. Looks like his lecture went in one ear and out the other.”
“And now,” Kate said, “I suspect Brenda, the temptress in training, resents the woman you brought home with you from Las Vegas.”
Sighing again, Hawk finished his coffee and began to clear the table. Kate got up to help him. “That’s the way I figure it,” he said. “I suppose I’ll have to talk to her, tell her a few home truths.”