Mara McBain

by McCade's Way

  “I don’t know how I got so lucky. You are like my guardian angel.”

  “Somehow I think that God might find issue with the comparison, but you know I’ve adored you since that first night we met.”

  “I think you used your purse that night too.”

  Adrienne gave a sniff and giggled. “It was an umbrella.”

  “That store keeper didn’t know what hit him either,” Gen quipped, running dishwater.

  “He deserved it," Adrienne said with an unrepentant smile. "Any man that would begrudge a starving woman scraps he'd thrown away is asking for an umbrella to the head, or worse."

  Silence hung between them as they washed the few cups and saucers, each lost in the past. Hanging the dish towel to dry, Gen broke the pall by pulling Adrienne into her arms.

  “I’ve been blessed with a fresh start here, and I’m so glad you’re here to share it with me.”

  Trey flipped the collar up on his coat and jammed his hat lower on his head. Crossing the yard, he leaned against the fence beside where his brother sat on the top rung. He silently offered Cole a cigarette. They lit up and continued staring at the stars.

  “You were stupid in love with Catherine. Did you fall for her the first time you saw her?”

  Blowing a plume of smoke heavenward, Trey mulled that over and shook his head. “No. Genevieve is better looking. With Catherine, I think it was more about being infatuated with someone like her wanting me. That was a mistake.”

  “Adrienne takes my breath away,” Cole said softly.

  “We have nothing to offer girls like that. Catherine was a fine example of what can happen to a man if he's not careful. Word of advice, little brother, rein it in or she'll do more than take your breath away. City girls will break your heart.”

  “Gen was a city girl, and she seems to be fitting in.”

  “As cold as it might sound, I scooped Gen up out of poverty so deep that hunchback you keep comparing me to would look like a God.”

  Cole couldn’t muffle his laughter and Trey nudged him, almost knocking him off the fence.

  “Laugh it up, boy, but it’s the God’s honest truth. Just from what I know so far, friends or not, Gen and Adrienne are two completely different women.”

  “You’ve got to admit that she’s the most beautiful woman you’ve ever seen.”

  “I don’t have to admit any damn such thing, and are you even listening to me?”

  “Are you saying that she’s not the most breathtaking woman you’ve ever seen in your whole damn life? Because if you are, you’re a damn liar,” Cole said, turning to look at his brother.

  “She’s more exotic looking than Catherine, but you’re talking the same type of classically beautiful woman.”

  “And you’re saying that doesn’t float your boat?”

  “I’m saying it’s pretty to look at, but it doesn’t light my fire like my firebrand does,” Trey said, rolling his heavy shoulders in a shrug.

  “What happened to this being a marriage of convenience?”

  “I don’t know what your definition of convenience is, but I find it pretty damn convenient that my wife makes me horny and is eager to take care of it.”

  “I don’t know how Gen puts up with you. No couth.”

  “I have manners. I didn’t say that in front of her. I said it to you, and if you repeat it you’ll be the one without couth or front teeth,” Trey grumbled. “Look, unless I’m missing the mark here, Adrienne doesn’t strike me as the vestal virgin type. If I’m right, and you want to enjoy her visit, do it quietly and don’t give your heart away. At some point that sexy little songbird is going to fly the coop, and I have no intentions of nursing you back from a broken heart.”

  Gen was reading when he came to bed. He smiled when he noted the blankets were pulled up over her breasts, but her shoulders were bare. His hot wife was naked and waiting. How was that not convenient? He grinned. Kicking the door shut, he locked it behind him. She put her book aside, her shimmery gaze following him across the room. Sliding toward his side of the bed, she turned back the blankets and waited while he stripped out of his clothes.

  He crossed to the bed as naked as the day he’d been born. The hunger in her eyes both humbled and got him fired up. In no mood for foreplay, he caught her arm and yanked her from her cocoon onto the sheets she’d uncovered for him. She gasped at the sudden movement and chill, but didn’t pull away. Covering her body, he pinned her to the mattress, his mouth sealing over hers in a kiss that threatened his control already. Rolling his hips demandingly, he moaned into her mouth. She was damp and welcoming. Her legs wrapped around him, and he smiled against her lips when her heels dug into his ass.

  Having her legs around him opened her wide, and he pushed to the hilt from the onset. Gripping the backs of her thighs, he took her with long, hard strokes, greedy for the oblivion of release. Her nails dug into his shoulders as she clung to him. Shifting one hand from the back of her leg to her ass, he tilted her hips to deepen his thrusts. Keening whimpers squeaked from her throat as he took her. A low growl rolled from him at the exquisite grip of her body. Slamming harder into her, he gave his control the night off.

  She shuddered under him as he slowly came down off his high. Kissing the side of her neck, he breathed in the scent of her. Lifting his head, he stared down at swollen lips and eyes drunk with desire. Her hips shifted, lifting against him. He stirred within her, and she bit her lip. She moaned at an experimental thrust of his hips. He’d left his baby wanting. Cradling her hips, he started a slow grind. Keeping it easy, he fed the tension between them until they were both panting again. This time when he let the reins loose, her screams rang in his ears under his roar.

  Gen’s long fingers trailed over his chest, combing through the patch of blonde hair and tracing the hard planes. Her voice was a contented sigh.

  “Thank you.”

  “My pleasure, darlin',” he replied with a rumble of laughter. His gaze darted to her face as she saucily tweaked his nipple.

  “Not just for that,” she said, eyes sparkling in mischief as she leaned to kiss the offended nub, “for everything today and especially for letting Adrienne stay.”

  “This is your home, too, and she seems important to you.”

  “I love her like a sister. She helped me through times when I wasn’t sure I was going to make it. She has such a big heart. She deserves better than to be treated like some tawdry fling by the likes of Clark.”

  Not knowing what to say to that, Trey stroked her hair and kissed the top of her head. He had a feeling that relationship had been every bit as much a financial decision for Adrienne as theirs had been, if on a different level. Lucky for Gen, he wasn’t looking for an advantageous match, just an amicable one. Clark might regret going after the money. A grateful woman was a lot better to deal with than a greedy one.

  His wife’s walking fingers pulled him back to the moment. They prowled down his belly to splay over his navel and ruffle the fur there in a swirling stroke. Sliding down his side, she planted little kisses across his flat stomach. He sucked in his breath as her tongue teased his navel. She giggled.

  “I love how…solid you are.”

  “Are you calling me fat, woman?” he asked, raising an incredulous eyebrow at her.

  “No. I don’t know any other word for it,” she said, laughing and shaking her head so her nose rubbed across his stomach.

  He drew in a breath at the tickle of her hair and cupped the back of her head. She peeked up at him, humor and something else lurking in those unbelievable eyes. He shook his head. This was the woman who had described herself as plain. How wrong she’d been.

  “My father was fat. Even when we were starving, his gut never really went away, but his face was drawn, and you saw it in his arms and legs. A lot of men that started out fit, their stomachs became sunken and their ribs showed like the women and children,” she said, the smile leaving her face at the memories. Her gaze dropped to his body as her hands ran over his c
ore. “You’re muscular and solid, and as much as your size makes me feel safe, that physical reminder that you haven’t been starving makes me feel secure. Does that make sense at all to you?”

  Her words were like a mule kick to the gut. He’d admitted to himself, and even to Cole, that he’d pulled her from poverty, but she painted a picture that tugged at his heart strings and made him feel guilty. He’d never gone hungry a day in his life. There’d been times growing up that money had been real tight, or that they’d cut river grass to feed stock when it was dry, but there’d always been food on the table, be it from the farm or hunting. Even now, with the work and food shortages in the larger cities and the drought on the plains, their valley remained green and insulated for the most part.

  Trey combed his fingers through her silky hair. He’d used her troubles to his advantage. It had been to his benefit that this beautiful woman didn’t take things like food, heat, or a bed to sleep in for granted. He’d offered her the bare bones of living and justified his treatment of her by her appreciation. When had he grown so callous? He frowned, shaking his head. Everything about Genevieve was the polar opposite of Catherine. Was it possible women were that different? Was she playing his emotions? If tonight was his thanks for a new winter coat, did he care? He shook his head again, trying to clear the jumble of his thoughts.

  “That’s not something you need to worry about anymore,” he said, the words sounding awkward even to his ears. “And if my being big as a horse makes you feel secure, who am I to argue?”

  Gen giggled, trying to hide her face in his chest again. He tilted her chin up to confront her mischievous grin.

  She waggled her eyebrows at him lasciviously, and he burst into laughter protesting: “I didn’t say hung like a horse!”

  “If the shoe fits.”

  He laughed harder and gave her a squeeze as she drew a horseshoe shape on his chest. Drawing her lips to his, he kissed her until she forgot about her silliness and wrapped her arms around his neck. Releasing her lips, he kissed her freckled nose and smiled at her.

  “Let’s get cleaned up, brat.”

  He shook his head as Gen practically ran down the hall to the bathroom. It amused him that she could be shy after being so wanton in his bed. He liked that duality in his wife. Stepping up behind her at the vanity, he pressed close, watching his big hands cover her breasts in the mirror. Her eyes widened as he rubbed against her shapely behind. Her gaze darted to the door, and he reached over to push it shut before continuing to knead her breasts. His desire so soon surprised him.

  Bracing her hands against the counter, Gen pushed her hips back, matching the slow rotation he was setting. He growled in her ear, loving the feel of her body grinding back against him. He nuzzled her ear, breathing in the smell of her. Her breath came in a ragged pant. He loved her passion.

  “Oh, God yes,” he groaned. “So damn hot, baby.”

  He let one hand glide down her body, admiring the fine sheen of sweat that made her glow. Slipping his finger between her puffy lower lips, he caressed her ear with his lips.

  “Are you sore?”

  She shook her head, her lips parting as he continued to tease. What the hell was she doing to him? Skin flushed and coppery hair in erotic disarray, he wanted to press her against the mirror and watch those eyes while he made love to her. Damn, she was beautiful. He wanted to ask her if she wanted this, but looking at her face he was convinced she did. Pulling her hips back further, he bent his knees to thrust up into her.

  A cry tore from her lips as she went up on tip toe. Wrapping his fist in the copper tresses at her nape, he pressed close, looking over her shoulder to watch her in the mirror while he took her. His thrusts were short and powerful, driving gasping sobs from her throat. Heart hammering in his chest, he searched her face for a clue to what she was feeling. Had she really said she loved him? He trailed his lips down the slender column of her neck. What the hell did love look like? Once he’d thought he’d known, only to watch the woman walk out of a hotel with another man. Why hadn’t he been good enough for her? How many times had she spurned his sexual advances with her bullshit excuses? Why did women have to play games? Frustration lent a roughness to his desire. Tugging her head back by the fistful of hair he held, he growled in her ear.

  “Beg me for it.”

  She shuddered, her lips parting on a scream, his name coming out in a plea.

  “Treyyyy! Pleeasee.”

  He thrust harder, driving her onto her toes until she tumbled over the edge and he fell with her.

  Chapter Eleven

  Trey hesitated in doorway taking in the green and gold kimono robe. He must’ve made a sound because Adrienne whirled, fumbling the empty coffee cup she held. Her pointed little chin came up defiantly, and he fought a smile. She was a feisty little thing.

  “Did you sleep well?” he asked.

  “Once I grew accustomed to the…sounds of the house, I slept like an angel,” she said, her lips pursing in a smirk.

  “I’m glad that’s not going to be an issue for you. I had to tell our last houseguests if they didn’t like it they could find other accommodations.”

  “You don’t mince many words do you, Mr. McCade?”

  “Nope. I’ve found saying what you mean and meaning what you say saves time.”

  “Do you appreciate that in others, no matter the gender?” she asked, the honey dripping off her words almost too sweet to swallow.

  “I do, Miss Lachance,” Trey confirmed and waited. They sized one another up for a long moment, and he wondered what was going on behind her shamrock gaze.

  “Good morning, Adri. I’m sorry to have kept you waiting,” Gen said, sweeping into the kitchen to give her friend a hug. “Thank you for starting the coffee.”

  Adrienne stepped back from the hug with a smile and didn’t protest when Gen handed him the first cup of coffee. Blowing across the top of it, he offered Adrienne a small salute. The purse of her lips and the sparkle in her eyes warned that their conversation wasn’t over. He found himself looking forward to it.

  “I’m going to get to the chores. I’ll collect the eggs this morning.”

  Gen turned, a protest on her lips, but he stopped it with his forefinger and shook his head. She took a little breath but then kissed his finger softly in acquiesce. He gave her a warm wink and, handing off his coffee mug, headed for the barn.

  Adrienne’s eyes narrowed in thought as she watched the big man leave the house. Trey was no dumb country bumpkin. The man was sharp. What kind of husband he was, was still to be decided and if he liked blunt, he was going to love her. She’d watched her mother be a punching bag for years without being able to stop it and when she’d met Genevieve, she’d promised herself she wouldn’t allow that to happen to the innocent redhead. She’d had mixed feelings when the local priest had played matchmaker with a man so far away. There hadn’t been anything for Gen in New York, but she’d hated seeing her go off alone.

  It was funny how fate worked. When she’d needed to get out of the city, checking up on her friend had made perfect sense. The new husband had taken her surprise visit a little better than she’d anticipated. Gen’s new brother-in-law had helped. She smiled. Cole was an incredibly handsome man. Though he gave up two or three inches and quite a bit of bulk to his brother, she still estimated Cole to be three or four inches over six feet. The farm work had been kind to the boy. He had the chiseled physique of a Greek God. She wondered if his powerful brother had been sleeker in his youth. She ran her tongue over her lips. Too bad the priest hadn’t set Gen up with Cole. Besides being easier on the eyes, the younger brother seemed more laid back than Trey.

  The big man was a bit controlling it seemed, though she didn’t have a lot to base that on as yet. As much her sense of feminine equality would’ve liked to disagree with him hushing Gen just now, his method had been far from heavy handed, and that wink had been sexy as hell. Her friend had a beautiful blush to her cheeks this morning. The sounds from the night
before had picked up again this morning. It seemed Gen hadn’t been exaggerating about that part of the marriage going well. Lucky girl. Feeling her friend’s gaze on her, she smiled and shook herself from thought.

  “What can I do to help?”

  “Are you okay this morning?” Gen asked softly, worry obvious in the way she nibbled her bottom lip.

  “I’m fine. I’m just trying to adapt to a new schedule. You know me. I’m usually just finding my bed when you’re crawling out of yours here on the farm.”

  “Trey is an early riser,” Gen said with a relieved smile. “Maybe you can sneak a nap in this afternoon. That’s what Rose did while they were staying with us.”

  “Who’s Rose?”

  “Trey and Cole’s Uncle Wade ran into some financial difficulty like so many others right now and brought his new wife, Rose, and their little girl Lilly to stay with us for a while.”

  Adri frowned. She recognized fear in her friend’s voice. She’d heard it often enough when Gen was having problems with her father.

  “You haven’t been married long and everyone is just encroaching on your privacy!” she exclaimed, trying to lighten the mood. It worked. Gen giggled.

  “It doesn’t slow Trey down any. In fact, he may take it as a challenge.”

  “If last night is any indication, you may be right,” she teased and laughed as Gen flushed a becoming shade of red. “I guess you weren’t kidding when you said you do that part well!”

  “Now I’m getting morality and manner lessons from you?” Gen scoffed, biting her lip to hold back the giggles.

  “Your husband can thank me later for teaching you everything you knew on the subject,” Adrienne said smugly.

  “You’re awful,” Gen giggled, biting her lip as she tried to focus on the sausage patties she was frying. They stole a peek at each other as Adrienne started to slice the bread for the French toast. “I would’ve been scared to death if you hadn’t at least told me what to expect,” Gen admitted.