Go.
I turned the key. The engine sputtered once, as if the old truck had swallowed up something it disagreed with. Another puff, a purr, and then it ran.
We hollered happily and started to pull away.
The nearest police station was about an hour's drive. Occasionally, Anderson woke in the darkness, screaming and slamming his feet on the metal above him.
But this truck came from an era of reinforced steel and good building. It took out half the front of his SUV and it kept going, just like we did.
About ten minutes on the highway, I passed her the phone. “Here. Dial 9-11 and tell them there's been one hell of an accident out in the badlands. They can clean up the rest of this mess while we deal with the main part.”
I gave her the address and she smiled. So did I.
For a country girl who'd just had her first brush with real danger, she wasn't very frightened. Hell, she was holding up better than me.
My adrenals were shot. I drove deeper into the night, trying to draw in some of its suave, calming energy.
After this night, the lion's share of a million dollar's didn't seem like enough compensation for this job. I just wanted to hand him over and go home, collapsing into bed with the woman I love.
XI: Many Ever Afters (Misty)
“That ear's healing up nicely. Looks like you're gonna heal faster than Doc McLaren gave you credit for again.”
Declan smiled as I patted him on the cheek. His freshly shaved skin felt strangely smooth. I missed his stubble, but I knew it would be back after the evening ended.
“It's been years since I dressed up like this. Feels strange.”
I placed my hands on his shoulders and rubbed them deeply. The tension was still there, a myriad of knots and adhesions I hadn't worked out since the showdown with Anderson.
“Well, you're looking really great. Just like a hero should.”
He grinned in the mirror. He pulled the knot on his tie hard, betraying the modest uncertainty at being called the H word.
I didn't care.
If anyone deserved the title, he did. Sheriffs from several counties and a couple Congressman could deck him head to toe with medals, but I saw what really happened.
This man – master, lover, and guardian rolled into one – had taken me along for the ride from day one. And now, we were about to close another chapter.
A brilliant warmth flooded me as he stepped out of the bathroom and into the waning autumn light. Declan came forward and ran one hand down my back, stopping just above my rear.
“You're not too bad looking yourself, little lady.” His face twitched, turning to hard stone and then to stoic softness. “Still not sure I deserve all these accolades. If anything had happened to you out there...”
I stared deep into his eyes. Lightning crackled, furious as he relived our nightmare together, horror and grim triumph rolled into one.
“You'll feel a lot better as soon as that check is in your hand. Better, in your bank account.” I leaned forward and we kissed.
When I released him, we stepped into the night, heading for the sweetness satisfaction of long delayed success.
I wiped the corners of my eyes as Declan stepped onto the stage.
A South Dakota Senator I recognized from TV shook his hand firmly. The man looked less slimy in person.
Several local officials clapped behind him, shoring up their photo opportunities as they basked in a hero's limelight.
His speech was short and sweet. He summarized Anderson's disgusting crimes, thanked the community for seeing to justice, and then accepted the hallowed check from Senator Whatshisname.
Only I noticed the way he grasped the podium. When he talked about Anderson's slaves, his fingers went white, the tension evacuating the blood from his hands.
My heart turned to lead. I just wanted it to be over, no matter how terrible the final battle had been.
Later, over dinner, we talked quietly.
Declan pulled the check out of his wallet several times and stared at the huge number.
Eight hundred thousand dollars. Five zeroes behind it, like portals opening to another world.
“It's not your fault, you know,” I said quietly while he eyed it over dessert.
We were sharing a piece of chocolate cheesecake. I quickly took another bite as he looked at me and tilted his head.
You know what I mean.
I reached across the table. “Look, I know you're still feeling some guilt over everything that happened. I was perfectly fine. I helped you earn that money, cowboy. And we deserve every cent of it.”
“It isn't that. I mean, yes, I keep thinking about putting you in danger. But what about all the girls I couldn't save? I didn't love them like you, obviously. But they're out there somewhere, chained down in private dungeons, a miserable existence of God knows what...”
He stared through me. I didn't have an answer.
“Don't tell me you're thinking about going after someone else?”
“I've got his phone. All his contacts are in there. I recognized a few names last night after I looked them up on the FBI's Wanted database.” He folded his hands and leaned forward.
“I'll never put you in danger again, Misty. I couldn't live with myself if I did. But I have to make all these bastards pay.”
I licked my lips, tasting the last of the sweetness fading. Something popped deep inside my brain.
“Maybe there's a better way,” I said. “I have an idea...”
Two dresses, two suits, two lovely outings in two weeks. For the first time, I was really starting to feel like a pregnant lady. Tired, but happy.
The dark gray dress I wore that evening matched the somber atmosphere settling outside. Every night, South Dakota sank a little more into winter's inevitable grip, colder and darker.
Except for the new non-profit we'd just inaugurated. Probably the first real action group in the town's history.
Alive, energetic, really part of life's circle. Had getting impregnated opened up a new part of my mind?
Maybe.
Regardless, I was glad that all my mental energies were firing at max. I turned to the three men at the kitchen table, picking up the coffee pot to refresh their mugs.
“Are you really sure you're healed up for all this, Jimmy?”
My old employee looked up, his eyes hard and focused. “Just as long as we can work out my part time hours, Misty. You know old man McLaren always wants to play it on the safe side.”
I wrinkled my lips. “Well, just as long as you're in shape to train with Declan.”
Across from him, Declan winked. He took a long sip from his cup before answering.
“Relax, beautiful. This is just the start up meeting. The Rough Prairie Riders won't be getting down and dirty until after the holidays – maybe longer.”
“You sure? With the donations rolling in like they are now, you'll have a whole army by then!” I laughed, recalling the dozens of resumes that came in from across the country.
Declan intended to train other men in time, and I'd help too with marksmanship. But for now, we decided to keep a tight, close circle.
Close and personal.
The other man, Jeremiah Wiloch, clasped his coffee cup tightly and frowned. He was younger, a twenty something rogue I might've fallen for if Declan hadn't showed up on my doorstep. And like everybody in my kitchen, he wanted revenge so bad he could taste it.
“I thought you said we were moving fast?” Jeremiah met Declan's hard eyes and immediately softened his tone. He was a hothead, but he also knew damn well who was in charge here.
“I got my passport and everything ready to go. If we have to follow them all the way to Russia, I'm game.” Jeremiah sipped his coffee as my lover chuckled.
“Trust me, they're all local. We're not dealing with international arms dealers here. They don't venture much further than Canada. Rarely more than a few towns above the border.”
“Good. I'm going to make them pay fo
r what they did to my Pa. Sure wish I could've gotten the real culprit like you did, Mister Schuster.”
“How's he doing, anyway?” Declan's face looked conflicted. The concern was there, but also the pain over the way the elder Wiloch had sprung Anderson's trap.
“Still hasn't come out of his coma. They're running more tests to see find out if there's any permanent damage.” Jeremiah shook his head.
Everyone in the room followed suit, including me. Finding out what Mister Wiloch had done for Anderson shocked me to my core. But trying to hang himself to make amends was an equally unwelcome surprise.
It was what had driven his only son here to help form Declan's new group. I came up to my cowboy and laid my hands on his shoulder.
Remember, it's time to lay down the law, I told him through my fingers.
Set some boundaries. Make them understand that you're the boss, and nothing else.
He took a deep breath before looking at his two students.
“I just want to get something clear. I'm gonna train three more guys over the winter months, and get you into a team. Much as I'd like to get out on the field again, I made a promise to someone I wouldn't.” He reached up and took my hand, making it clear to everyone in the room who that someone was.
Jimmy nodded, eyeing my belly. Instinctively, I think he knew.
“Yeah, I get it. You're retired. Emeritus, even.” Jeremiah looked up and gave us a wry smile. “I wouldn't ask a man to put himself in danger either. Not with a baby on the way.”
I flinched. I wondered just how far the gossip had spread through town. On the other hand, did it really matter?
Declan and I squeezed palms simultaneously. Then he gently let my hand fall away, settling at my side as the trio discussed business.
“So, you think you really got that SOB for good?” Jeremiah's eyes narrowed, landing on both of us.
“No doubt,” Declan said. “He's licking his wounds in prison. He'll probably come up for trial sometime next year. You better believe I'll be following the whole thing.”
“Those poor women.” I shook my head sadly, not adding anything more. The last thing Declan needed was unintended guilt.
“If we can head 'em off nearby or in Canada, maybe we can save a few,” Jimmy mused. “It's the least I can do. I know what it's like to be used.”
Our eyes fixed on him. He reached into the pocket and fingered a cigarette, but stopped just short of pulling it out and lighting up.
Daddy had smoked in this house plenty, but those days were gone. Thankfully, my men and I had an understanding, especially now that I was pregnant.
“You gotta go into this with a clear head, Jim. Mind and body as one. Don't try to be a hero or use this gig to change the past. We all made mistakes in this situation. Best we can do is take our lessons and move forward.”
Declan reached out and pinched the man's shoulder. He smiled through his tweedy beard, one hand covering the bullet wound near his ribs.
“Listen to this man,” I whispered. “He's been right about everything. And I promise you, that's not just my special bias speaking.”
After they left, I collected the plates. I frowned at a couple burned cigarette butts in Daddy's old ash tray.
Jimmy must've slipped them by me when I was out of the room. Smoking, even for guests, would have to stop now that my oxygen was servicing two bodies.
“So, how much did it cost to set all this up?”
“Just a couple grand,” Declan said with a smile. “Lots left for everything we could ever want.”
He extended his arms in time for me to slip into his embrace. I planted my cheek on his, happy that the stubble I missed was slowly, surely returning.
“You kept your promise,” I said, hot breath gushing into his ear. “But if these dark days are really all behind us, what's next?”
He rocked me in the calm silence. The glass behind me rattled lightly as a strong gust crackled against it.
In here, the winter may as well have been in a different hemisphere. No blizzard or bitter wind overshadowed the electric warmth between us, the unseen blanket he tucked around me every time our flesh met.
“Enjoying the good life. Raising our family. Taking you to new heights in the bedroom.” I giggled at the playful and mysterious edge in his voice. “We're home free, and we've got plenty of money to spare. But I'm gonna spend it right...”
“A man after my own heart.”
I truly realized how lucky I was. Daddy managed his money closely, and he passed the same attention to detail onto me.
Probably a big part of the reason why most ranches in our area had gone bust long ago.
Suddenly, I felt his fingers, flat and warm along my abdomen. I placed my hand over his, stroking his strong fingers.
He shifted forward, testing me with his weight, a silent omen of good things to come later tonight.
“My God. I want you,” I moaned, leaning in for another kiss.
He kissed me back, adding his tongue to mine. But he broke and stepped away just as things were starting to get going.
The frustration only lasted a second. I saw the sweet lines on his strong face and smiled.
It was the first time he teased me since that awful night with Anderson and his men.
“I want you too, Misty. And I'm gonna get you very soon, just as soon as we're through savoring the moment.” He came forward again and hugged me tight.
I pressed my ear to his chest, listening to the beautifully hypnotic bass of his heartbeat. His deep voice rose and filled the air like an addicting magic.
Make that a special kind of sorcery. Mine, and mine alone.
“That's what this is all about, isn't it?”
He ran his fingers through my hair as I looked up.
“You said it yourself, wondering what's next. It's taking everything one beautiful step at a time. I don't know exactly what things are gonna be like two, five, ten years down the line. But I do know tomorrow, and the day after that.”
“Really? And what's on the agenda, sir?” I purred into his ear, husky as I could manage.
I ignored the persistent tempo in my blood for now, but I couldn't keep resisting forever. My fingers curled around his collar.
I wanted to rip his shirt off. Soon.
“I thought we'd take a look at a new car for both of us. I think the old LTD's best days are behind it. Then, maybe a trip to a financial adviser. We can stretch this money far if we invest it right, maybe start a fund early for junior's college.”
I smiled at the thought. His hands tightened around my back. I wanted to kiss him again, but he looked like he had more to say.
“And then a nice slice of pie and coffee for you at that little diner in town. Alone.”
I raised my eyebrows. Alone?
“There's another stop I need to make by myself,” he explained. “I'd like to pay a visit to Goldman's, that jeweler in town. There's a ring I've got my eye on.”
The roar in my blood reached a crescendo. He couldn't hold it off anymore. Not for anything in the world.
I kissed him, pouring hot tears, devouring his lips. And we kissed and kissed, always kissing with the same frantic devotion, in the kitchen or entwined in flesh and ropes.
We kissed until sun up. And when I woke to the pale brightness on the horizon, I still felt his lips, grateful that their fiery impression would last forever.
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If You Liked This...
Then you'll enjoy another Western erotic romance full of suspense, submission, and pregnancy passions! Check out Dark Prairie Fire: Rancher's Pregnant Submissive.
About This Work
FIRE ON THE PLAINS. LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS.
Cat Nichols' fresh-out-of-college plans fall apart when she returns home to run the family ranch. Dealing with unexpected grief and danger following her Pa's mysterious death is only half the battle. Throw in a surprise attraction to the hot rancher next door, and she's got enough tension to fuel some very dark desires...
Ethan Hartz has always admired the beautiful young woman on the neighboring ranch. But he never expects her desperate pleas for domination until she throws herself at him one dark evening, right after they make an unsettling discovery in her barn's loft.
Even then, he can't imagine how hot the fire inside her rages, including a stark lust for a baby.
Just one taste of her, and Ethan knows he's in for good. He'll stop at nothing to give her the life she deserves – even if it means saving his newly pregnant submissive from a pack of ruthless criminals...
Dark Prairie Fire is loaded with suspense, BDSM play, and pregnancy passions. A contemporary Western erotic romance novella over 30,000 words.
Excerpt
Instantly, I wanted to open myself all the way to him, anything to capture the vital flicker restlessly dancing in his pupils. If I could catch his spark, maybe I wouldn't be so timid anymore.
We were both surprised when I snapped up, standing on my tiptoes. I bounced on the fire inside me, spinning toward him.
My lips landed on his.
I smiled through my shock, feeling his warm, inviting lips go from pliable to firm.
We kissed without breaking away for several minutes. His arms tightened around my waist, slowly working their way lower, until they rested just above the hams of my ass.
The Alpha's Touch Boxed Set (14 Book Bundle) Page 87