by Tessa Layne
She canted her hips and reached between them, taking his cock and slowly guiding herself onto him. Every cell in her body sang with the joy of it, the feeling of homecoming, of connecting with him on such an elemental level. “I said yes. No more condoms.” The look on his face burned into her soul. She’d remember this moment when she was old and frail. She moved, relishing the feel of him inside her, the heat, the friction, the intense throbbing building with each stroke. “I love you Gunnar.”
He lifted his head, then, taking her mouth in a possessive kiss that left her dizzy, setting a rhythm with his tongue, with his cock that curled around her, invaded every pore, spiraled her higher and higher. His arms banded around her back, pulling her flush against him, so they touched everywhere, inside and out. She wanted this moment to spin out forever, her heart filled to bursting with love for him. He cracked her wide open, and the feeling was so big it couldn’t be contained in her body. As they hurtled toward a climax, kissing, touching, rocking, tears leaked out of her eyes. Her mind went blank as her orgasm ripped through her, Gunnar followed and thrust hard – once, twice – their cries mingling as they continued to kiss, drinking every last bit of sensation from the cosmic explosion they’d shared.
Her bones melted. Suzannah couldn’t move, didn’t want to. If she moved, the magic moment they’d shared would be gone. She laid her head on his chest, taking comfort in the steady beat of his heart. His hand cupped her head. “Marry me, Suzannah. Let’s make our family official?”
The tenderness in his voice, the cautious note of hope, acted like Cupid’s arrow, and it hit its mark. She raised her head, searching his face. Nothing there but his heart on his sleeve.
“Once upon a time, you took a gamble. Would you do it again? Take a bet on us?”
If she spoke, she’d cry, so she nodded. “Yes,” she whispered. “I will.”
He kissed her again, tenderly, as if she was a precious treasure. “You and Lulah are my life,” he rasped. “No matter what, I’ll be there for you, and any other children my super sperm help create.”
She shook with suppressed laughter, and then sighed, deeply satisfied. Too often, even now that he lived here, their coupling was hurried, not by choice, simply by necessity. Lying here with him, quietly talking in the aftermath, was a gift, however brief. “I wish we could spend the whole day in bed.”
Gunnar squeezed her tight, covering her with kisses. “Mmmm, if only. I know what I’d do to you if we had the whole day.” He grinned wickedly, giving her ass a little squeeze.
Neither of them would enjoy a luxury like that for some time, but it was nice to imagine.
“How about a shower instead?” He nuzzled the sensitive spot below her ear.
She rolled off him, and they snuck into the shower like two delinquent teenagers. Too soon, the water ran cold. They dressed quietly so as not to wake Lulah, and after a hurried cup of coffee, followed by more hurried kisses, they lingered on the porch.
“I can’t stop smiling,” Gunnar said, pulling her close.
She tilted her chin for more kisses. “I know, me either.”
“We’re really going to do it this time, right? No crossed wires, no waiting for hours wondering what’s happened, just us becoming a family?”
“Sounds perfect to me.”
Gunnar took her mouth, kissing her gently. “I don’t want to leave you,” he said when they parted.
“The sooner you go, the sooner you’ll be home.” She brushed her hands over his chest, delighting in the way his muscles filled her palms. “You’ll be back for dinner?”
“With bells on and steaks for the grill. Should I bring a bottle of wine to celebrate?”
“Love it.”
“Love you.” Gunnar nuzzled her temple while squeezing her ass. He would never leave at this rate, not that she wanted him too.
“Don’t you have horses to feed or something?”
“The guys can get started without me.”
He’d hired a couple of Parker’s firefighter buddies to help out part-time at the stables. She didn’t know much about it, except that Gunnar seemed less stressed since he’d hired them and moved in, and that made her happy. She hated seeing his face drawn with worry. “Talk more tonight?”
“You bet, baby.” He gave her one last lingering kiss, then tore himself away with a groan. “I’m going, I swear I’m going.”
Suzannah covered her mouth, shaking with amusement as he walked backward to his truck, nearly tripping over Lulah’s tricycle. “I’ll be counting the minutes.”
“I’ll be counting the seconds.”
“GO,” she giggled, shooing her hands at him. She stayed on the porch until his taillights disappeared, unable to stop smiling. This time, she was getting married for real. She couldn’t wait to call Iris and Bailey.
CHAPTER 21
Suzannah returned to the house and headed for the kitchen, humming quietly under her breath. The stove clock glowed five-thirty a.m. Still plenty of time to tackle the endless paperwork before she needed to wake Lulah for school. She refilled her mug, grumbling. She might be blissed out, but even that didn’t make her want to refrain from poking her eyeballs out over the hideous heap-tons of paperwork the clinic generated. Worst was the billing. She never got the same answer twice from an insurance company, and she felt an obligation to fight for her patients. She had half a mind to hire a contract biller herself. Maybe even a medical transcriptionist. That would free up hours of her time. It was worth the out of pocket cost if she was able to spend more time with Lulah and Gunnar. She could catch up on sleep, too. What a novel idea.
But Gunnar would hate it. He’d insist she take it to the board, which she should, but already, she could detect a board fight brewing. When she’d given last month’s report, the board had been evenly split over whether they thought she should continue doing everything, so for at least another month, she had to continue with the status quo. Suzannah swallowed her frustration. She was bound and determined to sail through the day with nothing but positive thoughts. She wasn’t about to let a few grumpy people on the board ruin the first day of the rest of her life. With Gunnar. As a family.
No. Way.
Throwing back her coffee, she dug into the paperwork with newfound determination. She barreled through the stack at breakneck speed, staying focused on the pages until the phone startled her. Her stomach sank when she saw the caller id. “Hello?”
“It’s Ivy.”
Instantly, she was alert. “Are you okay? What is it?” She sounded like death warmed over.
“Something, I don’t know what. Both Annie and I are out with fever and the works.”
Both of them? Suzannah flew into doctor mode. “What are your symptoms?”
“One-hundred point one fever, vomiting and diarrhea both started after midnight.”
Oh dear lord, the poor thing. “What about Annie?”
“Same,” Ivy said hoarsely.
“Did you start having symptoms at the same time?” That could be the difference between a Salmonella outbreak and something like norovirus.
“Don’t know.”
“Do you have any idea what you ate yesterday?” That could offer a meager clue, but only if she remembered correctly.
“I have no idea. Maybe a fried egg on toast for breakfast, finishing off the friends’ food for lunch, and leftovers for dinner.”
She bit back a groan of frustration. If it was Salmonella, it could have come from anywhere, and she’d have to report it to the health department. In the meantime, what was she to do with Lulah? She was booked all day at the clinic. With the start of school, stragglers were clamoring for sports physicals. “Do me a favor and write it all down, if you can. And stick to clear liquids until you can keep something in your stomach. If you get worse, come into the clinic, and I can take a look. You’ll probably be fine in a day or two.”
As soon as she disconnected, she texted Gunnar.
S: Babe, can you come get L? No school today – sick te
achers! :(
After a few minutes with no reply, she texted again.
S: You there?
Were there dead zones on the ranch? She shook off the macabre images of Gunnar lying in a gully, twisted and broken. He’d probably put down his phone. Irritating, but not that big of a deal. She still had an hour before the clinic opened. Deciding to let Lulah sleep a bit longer, she refilled her coffee and returned to her slowly dwindling stack of papers. But when thirty minutes had passed, a cool finger of deja-vu slithered down her spine.
No.
Absolutely not. This was not happening again. She slammed shut her laptop and reached for her phone, pushing her doubt back into the dark, fear-filled place where it lived. And where most days she could ignore it. She called this time. After six rings, it went to voicemail. Dammit, where in the hell was he? “Gunnar,” she started, trying to keep the fear from her voice. “I need you to come get Lulah. School’s canceled today and I’ve got to be in the clinic in thirty minutes. Call me? Please?” She began to pace the house, mind whirling. She didn’t really have a backup. Martha and Eddie were in Oklahoma, and she didn’t feel comfortable asking anyone else. Gloria McPherson was at reception today, and she supposed worst-case, Lulah could play behind the counter, but not all day. Maybe she could call Dylan’s mom Addy? Yes. She’d call Addy. She scrolled through her contacts and dialed again.
Addy answered on the second ring.
“Addy, it’s Suzannah. I’m in a bit of a bind this morning.”
“Aren’t we all?” she said wryly.
Guilt flushed her chest. But she could hear Iris admonishing her for not asking for help when she needed it. “I know, I’m sorry. I can’t reach Gunnar, and I’ve got to open the clinic in less than an hour. Are you in a position to take Lulah for a little? Just until I can have Gunnar pick her up?”
“Sure. But I have to warn you, they’re probably going to overdose on Baby Einstein today, since I work out of the house, and it looks like it’s going to rain all day.”
Suzannah cringed, but she understood. “One day won’t hurt. I’ll bring her over shortly.”
Thirty minutes later, Addy answered the door, still in pajamas. “I hope it’s okay we’re still in jammies,” she said with a smile.
“I envy you, although scrubs aren’t too far from what you’re wearing.”
“That’s why I like the medical field, comfy clothes for everyone.”
Suzannah cocked her head. “What do you do?”
Addy lifted a shoulder and waved the children into the living room. “Oh nothing glamorous at all, but it allows me to stay in Prairie and raise Dylan close to his grandparents. I do medical billing for a company in Kansas City. All remote.”
Suzannah’s jaw dropped. “How did I not know this about you?”
Addy shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s not that big of a deal, really.”
Except that it was to her. “You and Dylan should come for dinner soon. We need to talk.” If she could convince Gunnar of the need to hire someone like Addy, then maybe he could convince the stingier members of the board. Some of the board members, truly had no idea what it took to run a quality medical clinic. And why should they? They’d never had access to one. “’Bye, Lulahbug,” she called. “Daddy will be over to pick you up as soon as I can reach him.”
“’Bye mama.” She waved, already engrossed in playing blocks with Dylan.
“Thanks again, Addy.”
Addy waved her off. “Happy to help. That’s what neighbors are for.”
When Suzannah arrived at the clinic, more than a little damp from the steady rain, half a dozen miserable looking people crowded the waiting room. What was going on? Gloria wasn’t at her station, and after a quick scan, Suzannah spotted her in the corner, holding a trash can in front of Nita Cruz. “Gloria? What’s going on?” She rushed over to where the women sat.
“Your regular appointment is here, as well as a walk-in with a possible broken finger. The others are all sick.”
“How sick?” she said slowly, going over the symptoms Ms. Ivy had described.
Gloria motioned with her head toward Nita. “She arrived, saying she’d been up half the night, and I managed to grab the trash can just in time.”
Suzannah placed the back of her hand against Nita’s forehead. Definitely fever. From the looks of it, Prairie was experiencing some kind of an outbreak. The question was, what kind? “Can you help Nita to the exam room? Let’s take care of the acute patients first.” She turned around and spoke to the room. “Good morning, everyone. Please bear with me, I’ll see you all as soon as I can.” Spinning on her heel, she followed Gloria and Nita back to the exam room. “Tell me what happened, Nita,” she asked, walking directly to the sink and washing her hands.
“I woke up about two-thirty, feeling awful. Cramps, nausea, the works.”
“And you’re still having symptoms,” Suzannah stated, confirming the obvious while she took Nita’s temperature with a forehead scanner. One-oh-one. Enough to make a person feel like death warmed over. “Can you keep any liquids down?”
Nita shook her head.
“Well, it could be norovirus, but it could also be food poisoning.” Suzannah pulled a clear plastic container from the cabinet. “Not very fun, but in order to properly diagnose food poisoning, I’ll need to collect a stool sample.”
Nita grimaced.
“Just be sure to thoroughly wash your hands, okay? And drink as many liquids as you can keep down. The biggest danger is dehydration.”
Nita nodded, looking wretched.
“I’m sorry I can’t do more.”
All morning, her conversations mimicked the one she’d had with Nita. The clinic had never been so busy. Suzannah squeezed in her regular patients as she could, but by lunch, everyone in the waiting room was becoming testy. “Thank you all for your patience,” she called as she pushed through the door from the back. “I don’t want to shortchange anyone, and I promise, I will get to everyone.”
“But I’ve been waiting an hour,” someone called from across the room.
“I know, I know. It seems we’re having an outbreak of some kind, and as soon as I can attend to you, I will. In the meantime, please make sure your paperwork is in order, that will help speed along the process.” She glanced down at her clipboard and swallowed a groan. Mr. Appleberry, one of the most cantankerous board members, was next on the list. Just what she needed on a day when everything was flying out of control. Finding a smile, she searched the room. “Can I see Jonathan Appleberry?”
She glanced at her phone as she followed Jonathan and his wife into the exam room. Still no Gunnar. Fear gnawed at her. Lulah was safe, and she’d have to trust that Gunnar had somehow gotten her messages and knew where to pick up Lulah. She made a note to check with Gloria after the Appleberrys, maybe he’d left a message at the desk. Taking a deep breath and forcing a smile, she pushed into the exam room, and aimed for the sink. “How are you today Mr. Appleberry?”
“Not feelin’ too chipper.”
“That so?” She turned to study him. His color was off, and drops of sweat beaded along his hairline. Fever maybe? Onset of whatever bug had descended on the town?
“I feel kind of sick.”
“Tell me more. Any nausea or vomiting?” She grabbed the blood pressure cuff from its place on the wall. “Let me take your vitals real fast.” She wrapped the cuff around his meaty upper arm, and laid her stethoscope in the hollow of his elbow. She listened, alarm growing with each heartbeat. One-sixty-two over one-twelve. “Mr. Appleberry, your blood pressure is concerningly high. Do you take blood pressure medication?”
“Them pills the doc in Manhattan gave me in Manhattan about a year ago? Nah. He tried to tell me there was sumthin’ wrong with my ticker. Ain’t no one in my family ever had heart problems.”
Great. A stubborn old man who probably had a heart condition.
“That you know of,” interjected Mrs. Appleberry, face wrinkled in concern. “He was ha
ving trouble on our morning walk around the pond this morning. Kept having to stop.”
“Oh?” This was not looking good. She suspected he needed to see a heart specialist immediately. “Are you experiencing any pain in your arm, or neck?”
Mrs. Appleberry’s eyes widened. “He said he slept funny when he woke up.”
“I see. Mr. Appleberry, I think you may be experiencing a heart attack. I’m going to have Gloria contact the heart clinic in Manhattan. I think you need to be seen by them immediately.”
His jaw dropped. “What? That’s over an hour and a half away.”
“Which is why you should leave now.”
“But you’re the town doctor,” he accused. “You’re supposed to take care of us.”
Suzannah bit her tongue and counted to five. This had been her number one frustration with the men and women who came to visit her. Prairie had been without medical care for so long, the residents assumed she could do it all. “Which I’m doing by referring you to a specialist, Mr. Appleberry. I’m a family practice doctor. I provide well checkups, I can give stitches if the injuries aren’t too severe. I can set simple fractures. I’m not an emergency room, nor am I a specialist.”
He frowned and opened his mouth to speak, but she held up her hand, putting as much command into her voice as she could. Just in the time that they’d been talking, his color grew more ashen. For the umpteenth time today, she wished that their facilities were more adequate. An hour-and-a-half drive could mean the difference between life and death. “Mr. Appleberry, if you refuse to go, I’m afraid something catastrophic could happen. In fact, I’m going to call over to the fire department and see if they can transport you by ambulance. I think you could benefit from some oxygen, and if you go into cardiac arrest on the drive, they will be able to attend you.”
She pulled open the door and rushed to the front desk. Keeping her voice low, she spoke to Gloria. “I need you to call an ambulance for Mr. Appleberry, they need to take him to the heart clinic in Manhattan as fast as they can safely drive in that mess out there.” She waved at the bank of windows. The rain was coming so hard it sounded like drums on the roof. Was Gunnar out in this mess? Was he okay? “And can you see if Dottie can check with Gunnar? I haven’t heard from him, and I’m a little worried.”