by Rita Lawless
Usually, when they were together, one of the first things he did was mention marriage. After a particularly good spanking, or sexual encounter, he would say, "You know, if you married me and lived here, we could have this all the time. We wouldn't have to wait for you to come for a few days, or for me to meet you in Dallas."
Why hadn't he done that today, after the incredible spanking he'd given her? Was he truly coming to terms with the fact that she loved him, but marriage scared the crap out of her? She knew it was her mother talking when Justice thought that marriage meant you belonged to someone, that they took care of you and you just let them do whatever.
Something told her marriage with Zander wouldn't be that way. They had always been friends, and she was sure they would be friends no matter what.
Until you marry him, and something goes wrong, a voice inside her head said as she started the car. She turned up the air conditioner and put the car in gear. Her mind swirled with thoughts of Zander. Before she got too far, she parked, turned off the car, and got out.
After she perched on the hood, which made her ass twinge again, she looked around at the trees, the green grass, and the blue sky. The chirp of birds and the sound of the creek in the distance sank into her.
She loved this place. She always had. When she came here as a child it gave her a sense of peace, and a sense of belonging. It was something she'd never had before, and something she absolutely loved.
As she sat, she wondered about Miss Agatha. Her father had owned this ranch and she'd lived here her whole life. She was one of the happiest people Justice had ever known. Was it the land, or was it being married to the man she loved for so many years.
Justice couldn't help but think she was now wasting years where she could wake up next to Zander every morning. Make love to him. Shower with him. Cook breakfast, lunch, and dinner for him. Watch TV, or just sit and read a book with him in the room. And yes, she thought, even have babies, something she told herself she never wanted to do.
But something had changed inside her, and she knew exactly what it was. Maybe Miss Agatha had done it on purpose, knowing this would trigger something in Justice. Whatever it was, she needed to remember to thank the woman, who would be her grandmother-in-law. That was a strange thought. Justice had never really had a true family. Her mother saw her as a burden, one she had passed on to her parents. They saw her someone who had been foisted upon them. They never showed any affection, or showed that they cared more than getting her an education, and getting her out of their house.
It was time for her to go forward, though. Time for her to take control of her own life and stop letting past disappointments hold her back.
She pulled out her phone and texted Zander. She sent him those three little words that she had said earlier.
His response was immediately. I love you, too. But you already know that. He didn't ask if something was wrong, or if she wanted to talk about something. He didn't clarify it at all.
Justice took a deep breath, wondering why she was doing this, or what had prompted it. She didn't want to worry about it, though. Instead, she just typed.
If the offer is still good, I'd like to marry you. Her hands didn't hesitate at all as she pressed the keys, and she hit send.
The wait for the response was excruciating. She couldn't help but wonder exactly what she was thinking. When her phone pinged, and she read the response, tears welled in her eyes.
Tell me when and where. I'll be there.
Before she could answer, it pinged again.
I'm headed your way. Go back to the house if you've left.
She answered in the affirmative, got in the car and headed back to Miss Agatha's house.
* * * * *
"Got to go." Zander practically vaulted over Bandit's back in his hurry to mount the horse.
"We got things to do," Chas, the foreman, said to him.
"I got something more important to take care of. I'm sorry for leaving you now, but this can't wait. I'll see you later."
He pointed Bandit in the direction of Miss Agatha's house and let him have full steam. The horse seemed to realize it was time to hurry, and he broke into a run. This was the second time he'd ridden Bandit that far out today, and Zander made a mental note to give him an extra apple and some carrots when they were at the stables later tonight.
Zander didn't want to think about what had caused the subject of marriage to come up in Justice's mind. He didn't really care. All he knew was that the woman he loved, the only woman he would ever love, wanted to marry him, and he wasn't going to waste a second getting there to seal the deal.
He prayed she didn't change her mind before he got there. He drove Bandit as hard as he could, and as they neared the house, he saw Justice sitting on the hood of her car. She had her legs crossed in front of her, and she was looking off toward the creek, where they'd had such perfect sex the night before.
He drew the horse up next to the car and reined him in. From this position, he could look down on her, but he didn't want to do that. He wanted to be next to her, be on even ground.
After he'd dismounted, he tied up Bandit's reins so he wouldn't trip over them, and let his horse drift off toward the water trough.
For a few moments, they didn't say anything. Finally, Zander pushed his hat back on his head. "You're not going to change your mind, are you?"
"No," she said. "I love you too much for that."
Her words made him smile. "What changed your mind, if I might ask?"
"I'm not sure," she said, and he could tell from the grin on her face that it didn't bother her. That was unusual for his Justice, who always needed an answer to everything, one that would explain the why's and where's of anything that happened to her.
"You know, if it was that great spanking I gave you today, I'll make sure to schedule at least one a month."
Her grin widened. "It wasn't that, but I'll take you up on that offer."
He cupped her face, savoring the feel of her soft skin against his rough hands. "Why?"
He felt her stiffen under his touch. She tried to pull away, but he put his hand on her arm and applied gentle pressure. "Don't run from me, Justice. What you said to me today is incredible, and the words warmed my soul. But on the ride over here, as I was planning a wedding and thinking about staking out a place for us to build a house, I had to wonder what made you change your mind, and so suddenly."
"You don't think I love you?" He could hear the pain in her voice, and it hurt him. He cupped her face in his hands and leaned closer.
"I know you love me, Justice, and I love you. But I am concerned that you've resisted for so long, and suddenly you're calling me and saying you want to get married."
She relaxed just a little, and he leaned over and kissed her. She was warm and soft under his touch, and he held the back of her head in his hands, keeping her close to him. "I'm going to say yes, Justice. I want you for me wife, my best friend, the woman I will spend the rest of my life with. I just want some insight into why you've changed your mind."
Zander took a step back and stared down at her. She looked up at him with a tenderness that he'd never seen in her before.
"I think it was Miss Agatha," she said.
Zander laughed. "Grandma called you?"
"No, it was the research I've done, the research she asked me to do."
He wasn't sure he understood what she was saying, and he told her so.
"Part of Miss Agatha's research on the bandits was looking into people who might be related to them. I saw lots of birth and death certificates, marriage certificates, letters from people who talked about their families, and the stories they passed down."
Justice took a deep breath, and Zander could see tears welling up in her eyes. He wiped his thumb under the left one, and then the right. "Tell me."
"I read lots of obituaries today," she continued, her voice breaking. "Miss Agatha had done ones from the people she knew were related to the bandits. I can only assume she did
it so she could find more people she could talk to about the loot."
That made sense to him, but he didn't want to get into the research. He wanted to talk about Justice's feeling, and he knew that not responding would help her to continue.
"I started thinking about those people, the ones who had died." She took a deep breath. "I read their obituaries and I thought about my own. What would it say? Justice had a man who loved her, and whom she loved, but she allowed her fear of commitment to keep her from marrying him."
"And now?" Zander felt like he could barely speak his heart was racing so fast. He felt like he was on their first date, like it was the first time he'd kissed her, like it was the first time they'd made love.
"Now, it will say that she spent her life with the man of her dreams. They had lots of kids and ran a great business in Bluefield and they were happy till the end of their days."
This time it was Justice who kissed him. She wrapped her arms around him, holding him close as she claimed his mouth. Their tongues danced around each other, and it made Zander's cock swell.
"Do I need to ask you to marry me again?" he asked as they stood together, their foreheads resting against each other.
"I just answered the question, remember," she said with a laugh. "I think the only question is when we tell everyone. Should we do it tonight, or wait for another month, until after Bandit Days?"
He didn't want to let her go, but he knew that he had to. It was getting late, and they had to get up to the house.
"There's no way we can keep this a secret," he said. "I'm going to change and we'll go to mom and dad's house. We'll play it by ear, but sometime today you know we're going to have to tell them."
"That works for me."
The smile on her face reminded him of why he loved her. The first thing he was going to do tonight was kiss Miss Agatha, to thank her for bringing Justice to the ranch at just the right time.
* * * * *
Justice was pretty sure it was the smile on her face that alerted Emily that something had changed. When Justice came into the house, Emily cocked her head and said, "What's up?"
"My hunger level," Zander answered, even though Justice was pretty sure he knew the question wasn't directed at him. Justice just shrugged. She didn't want to talk about the wedding before dinner. She was so excited about making the decision that she wasn't even sure she should eat. Maybe that meant they should tell everyone now.
As if he could read her thoughts, Zander came up behind her. He'd already made his way into the kitchen where he'd retrieved two large glasses of iced tea. He gave her one and mouthed, "Not yet."
"Okay," she mouthed back. But all that did was bring Emily directly to her side.
"What's going on?" Emily looked between the two of them, and Justice couldn't help but laugh.
"You see conspiracy everywhere, Emily," Zander said. "Can't Justice and I share a secret or two?"
"Nope." Emily wagged her finger between the two of them. "You know I'm going to figure it out, so you might as well make it easy on the two of you and just tell me." Before they could answer, Emily clapped her hands. "You figured out where the loot is hidden, didn't you?"
"No," Justice said, happy that her friend hadn't taken a different route, screaming that they'd decided to get married and that was just so cool. "But I am working on it, and I think I've found a clue. I need to talk to Miss Agatha. Where is she?"
"In the sunroom," Zander's mother, Priscilla, said as she came into the living room. She looked so domestic, wearing an apron and carrying a cookbook, Justice couldn't help but smile. "Hello, Justice, I'm very glad you're here."
The older woman kissed Justice's cheek, and it was all Justice could do to hold back the news she wanted to scream out.
"I'm sorry you had to cut your trip short," Justice said. "Are you planning on going back sometime?"
"Oh, we will. Ben wasn't much on the European thing. He would rather go to the islands. I think he was thrilled for the excuse to come home, although he was not happy to hear his mother was ill. But she seems to be doing okay. We're going to keep her here at the house, so you and Zander have the other house to yourselves for a while."
It had always amazed Justice that Zander's parents knew the two of them were sexual active, and it didn't seem to bother them. Justice's mother wouldn't care, but her grandparents would probably use it as an excuse to throw her out of the house, and probably never let her come back.
"Now," Priscilla said before Justice could respond, "what is this I hear, Miss Agatha has you chasing after bandit loot?"
"Yup." Justice looked over to where Zander now stood, talking to his father. She imagined they were talking about the new horse that was brought in today. "She thinks the bandits buried their stolen goods around here, and she wants it found before she dies."
The ladies had started to walk toward the back end of the house where the sunroom was located. It looked out over an expansive green pasture, and Justice had always loved that part of the house.
She imagined finding a place on the expansive ranch for Mr. and Mrs. Zander McMillian to build a house. It made her stomach turn in a most delicious way, the excitement threatening to creep up until she screamed it out for the whole world to hear.
Once they were in the in the sunroom, Justice could see that Miss Agatha was not a happy woman. She was sitting in a large chair, with an afghan thrown over her legs. She had a remote control in one hand and a glass of tea in the other.
"If the rest of my life is going to consist of me watching this crap," she pointed the remote at the TV where a reality court show was on, "and drinking tea instead of beer with my evening meal, then we need to talk."
"Miss Agatha, the doctor told you to take it easy." Priscilla winked at her. "But if you want me to slip you a little medicinal brandy, just let me know. But don't let your son see. He might get mad at me."
"Get it," Miss Agatha said with a smile. "Not too much, just a little. I'll finish it before we sit down to eat."
While Priscilla went off to get the drink, Justice sat down in a nearby chair. Emily moved to the sliding glass door. She went outside, and Justice could see her talking to the twins, who were playing in the yard.
"Miss Agatha, I found something today I want you to tell me about."
The older woman listened as Justice told her about the magazine article. "Do you remember it?"
Miss Agatha's smile dimmed. "I remember it. It came out about the time my husband died. I wasn't too much on researching things then, and I think I just shove it in the box. I didn't go back to it."
Justice squeezed the woman's hand. "It talks about a man named Abel Gunner, whose great-grandfather was a jailer in Bluefield at the time. You didn't try to make contact with him?"
"No." For once, Miss Agatha seemed subdued.
Justice imagined it was because she was thinking about her late husband, who had been dead for many years. When the elder woman didn't say anything, Justice squeezed her hand again. "I'm going to try and find him, see if he can tell me anything that's not in the article. I think he might be a promising clue."
Miss Agatha smiled at her, and Justice could see that she was back with her. "I remember the article somewhat," she said. "I'd like to read it again."
"I'll make a copy and bring it up to you," Justice said. "By the way, thank you for letting us use your house."
Miss Agatha's eyes twinkled. "You're welcome. It's rather a wonderful place to relax."
Justice was about to ask her about her state of the art computer system, and what Miss Agatha did with it, when Priscilla announced it was time to eat. She instructed Zander to collect his sister and nephews from the backyard, and asked Justice to help Miss Agatha to the table.
"I don't need any help," Miss Agatha grumbled as she pushed away the blanket the covered her legs. "If people are going to treat me like an old woman, I'm going to get pissed."
It was all Justice could do to keep from laughing. She made sure not to take hold
of Miss Agatha as they walked. It would be best just to be close in case the older woman seemed as if she was going to lose her balance.
After they were seated and said grace, Ben started to talk of their trip. He told them of London, making sure to play up their visit to the Tower of London. He was talking about seeing the Eiffel Tower when Justice's mind started to wander.
Where would Zander take her on their honeymoon? That one thought made her think of everything that needed to be done before they could get married. There was the business of picking a date, and a place. She hoped it would be on the ranch, where she and Zander first fell in love. Maybe in the fall when the leaves started to turn and the air turned cooler.
But fall would be upon them before they knew it. There were things she needed to do, like quit her job, move her things, and figure out where they were going to live. It was like starting all over again, and yet it wasn't. It was a new beginning, but she would bring things from her past. Like her mother. She would have to tell her mother, even though she wasn't happy about that idea. If she could get married, and then a few months down the line say, "Oh, by the way, I got married," that would be just fine with her.
She was afraid her mother would want to help with the planning, play the mother-of-the-bride card, and take part in everything. That was something that didn't thrill Justice.
"Justice," Zander's voice broke her concentration.
Justice stared down at her plate. There were very few bites gone from it. One look at Zander's plate showed she'd been daydreaming for a while, and not eating. His plate was nearly empty.
"Want to share with the rest of us?" Emily asked. "Dad asked you a question about three minutes ago, and that's when we all noticed you were staring into space."
"It wasn't that long ago," Zander said.
Justice looked at her future husband. She could tell by the look on his face that he knew what she was thinking. He winked at her, and then he leaned over and kissed her cheek.
"What's going on?" Emily asked, suspiciously.