Tend My Heart

by Marian H. Griffin

  “We should get inside or someone will eventually arrest us.”

  “Let’s go to my room tonight. I’m not expecting anyone in the morning.”

  He stepped away and took her hand.

  “Sounds good.” She gave him a bold glance. “Looks even better.”

  * * *

  “If looks could have sex, I’d be very satisfied right now.”

  Penny laughed as he’d intended. She’d been tense since she returned from the restroom at the restaurant. Until she relaxed in his arms and they both were startled by the stern but understanding cop. Cash was sure he’d seen the ghost of a smile more than once.

  “I hope I’d be satisfied, too,” Penny said on the way up.

  When they almost reached his room, he moved in and kissed her breathless. “I think we’d both be happy.”

  With a smile, she cleared her throat. A couple was walking down the hall with rolling luggage, backpacks and bottles of water, and the man grinned broadly.

  “Give me five minutes,” the man said as he swiped his key, “and I’ll be a lot further than that!”

  He and the woman laughed and tumbled through the door. The thud of luggage dropping on the floor was followed by laugher as the door slammed shut.

  “Feeling competitive?” Penny asked.

  Since he already had his key out, he got the door open fast. He pulled his button-down shirt over his head, kicked off his shoes and shoved her against the door. Kissing her fiercely, he gripped her face and pressed his hips to hers.

  He focused on the kiss while she fumbled with her own clothes. He stepped back as she pulled the dress off her shoulders, and took his pants off. While she fumbled with her bra he slipped her panties off and kissed her stomach. She jumped and he flinched.

  “Oh, God, did I kick…?”

  He exhaled. “No, no damage done.”

  “Good. Come here.”

  “No, you come here.” He swept her off her feet and carried her to the bed. It was right behind him so it wasn’t much of a challenge. More like a rite of passage. Every woman wants to be swept off their feet once in a while. That stopped him cold. Penny was not “every” woman. She was his.

  More determined than ever to prove it to her, he lowered himself until he covered her from head to foot. He kissed and petted and tended to every part of her eager body. She shivered and cried out from time to time until she whispered, “Now.”

  He moaned as he came into her, sinking deep inside her welcoming body. Holding himself still to savor the warm, wet feeling of her, he watched as Penny turned her head one way then the other. He pressed deeper and ground against her. She groaned and wrapped her legs around him. Lifting her hips, she urged him on. The natural rhythm of his movements brought them to, and over, the top. Groaning, he slumped in satisfaction.

  It took a couple of minutes before either one of them was able to say anything, then she blurted, “So, you think we beat them?”

  He laughed and laughed until he rolled over to look at her. She smiled up at him, a genuine smile that went all the way up to the slightly tilted corners of her eyes. His heart filled with…something…wonder? Excitement? Love?

  “God, you are amazing.”

  “I thought you did pretty well yourself.”

  “No, that’s not—”

  “I know,” she whispered.

  He reached out and wrapped a lock of her hair around his fingers, letting the strands slide through them, the subtle colors of red, brown and gold catching the light, the silky texture soft on his skin. “I haven’t known many women who laugh during sex.”

  “Then you’ve been seeing the wrong kind of women.”

  He contemplated her words for a moment. Had he been seeing the wrong kind of woman? Was he looking for the wrong kind of woman? Had he found what he needed? Yes. “You’re right. It took meeting you to make me believe it.”

  “Huh.”

  She stretched and snuggled into his side with her head on his ribs and an arm across his stomach. Then she shut off like a switch had been thrown.

  Cash stared at the dark hair spread across his chest. Her breathing had evened out as she relaxed into sleep.

  What is it about her that has me by the throat? Why did he think about her in the shower—well, okay, that was easy. But driving? Packing? Shopping for a shirt and pants?

  She was attractive, kept herself in shape, was great company and always had a ready smile. Except when she didn’t. And he still couldn’t figure out what was bothering her. Short of straight out asking, he could only keep looking for more clues. She pulls away when I talk about love or relationships. That one’s easy. The other one isn’t.

  He tried to picture himself going home to North Florida with her. He could do it easily but, with her snuggled warm against his side, he couldn’t picture himself going home alone. At all.

  He slid out from under her and settled her head on his pillow. She didn’t stir. Getting dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, he carried his shoes and went out the door, closing it quietly behind him. He straightened up and turned to come face-to-face with his competition from across the hall.

  “Left something in the car,” the masculine half of his competition said.

  “I, uh…let’s just call it a draw,” Cash said.

  The man grinned. “I could argue the point but Lilly’s waiting.” He jogged down the hall and out of sight.

  Cash grinned. He walked downstairs and out to the pool area. He took a seat to watch the stars. There hadn’t been time for it for the last few days. This was the time of day he was usually done with chores and work and dinner and had a few precious minutes to relax before falling into bed to do it all over in the morning.

  “That’s one reason she doesn’t like farm work, I’ll bet. It’s backbreaking and repetitive.”

  “I don’t mind the work.”

  He startled and turned to see Penny behind him.

  “What— How— What are you doing here?”

  “I followed you, of course.”

  “I didn’t wake you up when I got up. You were sound asleep.”

  “Well, you woke me when you were gone.” She sat on the end of his lounge chair forcing him to put a foot on either side. She lay back putting her head on his stomach. “I loved the animals especially the—barn cats. They would let me play with their kittens. It was nice.”

  Barn cats?

  “And I didn’t mind the late evenings. It was cooler and everyone was settled for the day and getting ready for bed. It was nice.”

  Nice again.

  He waited but she didn’t continue. Since he had no idea what to say, he kept quiet. Maybe she’d reveal a clue or something.

  “There’s a lot that’s not nice. The blazing sun, cow manure, freezing temperatures, cows waiting on you, hay to bale…”

  “It’s interesting how much you know about ranching.”

  He bit his tongue. Should he continue or should he wait?

  “Hey, there.” It was the female half of his competition.

  “Hello,” Penny said. “I have to tell you, I think we won.”

  Cash grimaced.

  The woman laughed. “Honey, we both won!”

  Both women laughed.

  “I’m Penny and this is Cash.”

  “Lilly. My husband’s name is Phil.”

  “Where is he?” Penny asked.

  Great. They’re going to chat about…I refuse to go there.

  “Ahoy!”

  And here’s Phil.

  More introductions were made, hands were shook and plans for a spa appointment—women only thank God—were made before he could maneuver them out of the impromptu get-together.

  Once he got her upstairs again, and naked again, he made love to her again. She had no complaints.

  * * *

  Cash rubbed his eyes. He was getting used to vacation hours. He looked out the window to see the sun had barely cleared the horizon. There was a knock on the door.

  “Wha…?�
� Penny rolled over, bleary eyed.

  He slid out of the bed. “Shh. Go back to sleep. I’ll get it.”

  Penny took him at his word and was asleep before he pulled on some shorts.

  “And I didn’t wake up late. The knocking woke me up.” But no one was listening.

  He went out and looked through the peep hole.

  “I know you’re in there, Cash. I can hear you breathing. Sounds like you have sleep apnea.”

  He pulled the door open and stepped into the hall. “No, I don’t. What I have is a nosy sister who woke me up at dark-thirty after telling me I need a vacation.”

  Dixie grinned unrepentantly. “Little sister’s privilege.” She looked behind him at the door. “Come on, let me in. I promise not to tell Mom you still leave your underwear on the floor.”

  “I’m not letting you in. I’d never get you out. Is there a reason for this visit?”

  “Of course.” Dixie looked down the hallway. “He’ll be here in a minute.”

  “Who’ll be here?”

  “Rodney Dangerfield.” She play punched his arm at his blank stare. “Brand, of course. Who else would I be with at this hour of the morning?”

  “Hi,” Penny said as she opened the door.

  Cash grimaced and hung his head. It didn’t keep him from seeing the smug, smarmy smile on his sister’s face. Or Brand coming down the hall. Great, she won’t shut up about this for years.

  “It’ll be ready before we leave,” Brand said to Dixie.

  “Good.”

  “Not good,” Cash said. “What is it and when are you leaving?”

  “Don’t listen to him, Brand. He really is a nice person once you get to know him.” She gestured toward the door and a dazed Penny wearing his still buttoned shirt.

  His jaw tightened. “Why are you here?”

  “Oh! Sorry, I forgot. Well, you see, Brand and I were talking—”

  “Dixie Rose.”

  “Oh, all right. I thought it would be good for you and Brand to get to know each other better so I decided to put on a picnic.”

  He wanted to kick his feet and yell no, no, no. But he wasn’t five anymore. “I’ll call you when I’m free later today.”

  “It’s a breakfast picnic.”

  That got his attention. “Picnics aren’t for breakfast.”

  “That’s thinking inside the box. Besides, it’s your favorite breakfast.”

  “You’re telling me you made oatmeal and bacon with brown sugar?”

  “Uh, no.”

  “Didn’t think so.”

  “I had the restaurant downstairs cook it.” She took his arm and forced him to turn around. “We can invite this lovely young woman along.”

  “You must be his sister,” Penny managed. And yawned. “Sorry. Need coffee.” She turned back into the room following the scent of fresh brewed coffee.

  Cash yearned for a cup himself. But first he had to get rid of Dixie. “Give me ten minutes and I’ll meet you downstairs.” He glared when Dixie made a move toward the door. “If Penny is available, I’ll invite her. Now, go away.” He got great satisfaction from closing the door in his little sister’s face.

  Until he heard Brand ask, “You think they’re getting to know each other better, too?” followed by Dixie’s “Oh, yeah, man. Do I!”

  Chapter Seven

  “Your sister wants to invite me to a breakfast picnic?”

  “Yeah,” Cash said as he dried off his belly and legs.

  Who can think absurd picnic plans when they’re staring at a naked man? A man I am getting to know pretty well. He’s embarrassed.

  “That’s sweet of her.”

  Cash turned and almost fell since he was in the process of pulling his boxers on over his right foot. “Sweet? She’s a nut. And she’s marrying an enabler.”

  Penny couldn’t help it. She laughed. “You are such a big brother! Did you vet all her dates when she was in high school? Check out her study partners?”

  “Study partners? Damn. I never thought of that.”

  She giggled as she pulled on her panties. “Listen, I have to go to my room to get changed. I’ll meet y’all downstairs in a few.”

  “Okay.” She watched him watch her get dressed. That accomplished, she gave him a kiss and went to change.

  She let herself in and stripped, dropping everything on the floor. She hated to leave things around but she was on a deadline. Bouncing in and out of the shower in five minutes flat, she grabbed the outfit she’d decided on and got dressed.

  All the while thoughts of Cash ran circles in her brain.

  What made him so different? She’d known a few other men, not a lot but enough to have a basic working knowledge of the breed. He was polite, kind, funny and great in bed. Okay, fantastic in bed. He had the hands of a lover, the mouth of a paramour and the body of a working cowboy. It was lean, muscled and flexible. She shivered thinking about it.

  Meeting his sister proved he was a family man. She giggled at his grumpiness over the fiancé. Dixie was young but she had a head on her shoulders. When Cash talked about her, or any of his family, his expression softened and she heard a wistfulness in his tone. Since her mother died before Penny entered grade school, the only family she’d had was her father. He had loved her, of that she had no doubt. Over the years Penny decided that he never got over the loss of his young wife. She had heard the same wistfulness in his voice whenever she asked about her mother.

  Or, it was bitterness that he never got the son he wanted.

  “Stop it, Penny! No more whining.” She finished putting on some light makeup and gathered her things. “You have nothing to whine about.”

  But money didn’t buy everything, she knew. It made the lean times less lean and the good times more expensive but it didn’t keep you company or snuggle up with you on a cold night.

  Sighing, she shut the door to her suite and went downstairs to participate in her first ever breakfast picnic.

  * * *

  When she got downstairs, she saw Cash and Dixie talking while Brand stood holding a large wicker basket. He had a half-smile on his face while Cash had on a full frown.

  “Sorry if I kept you waiting,” she said.

  Brand gave her a full smile. “Not at all. In fact, you got here quicker than I’d expected.”

  “That’s the problem these days,” Cash practically snarled. He glared at his sister. “Reasonable people think women should do certain things and not do other things.”

  “Oh, you mean men. Well, Penny and I could probably tell you fantastical stories about ‘reasonable’ people not knowing a whole lot about women,” Dixie joked. She grinned and winked at Penny.

  “So, Penny,” Brand said and held out an elbow for her to take. “Why don’t you and I mosey off and share this delicious breakfast spread while those two argue.”

  She glanced at Cash who had finally noticed she’d arrived. “I think that’s a lovely idea.”

  Brand led her toward the front door. She sensed the siblings followed close behind so she winked at Brand.

  “I saw that,” Cash mumbled.

  Penny laughed. They trooped down to the beach where they unrolled the large blanket Dixie had brought. Settling down took a few minutes but they were soon digging into the wicker basket.

  “Oatmeal. How did you talk the kitchen into making oatmeal for me?” Cash asked. He was finally smi—well, he wasn’t outright frowning anymore as he fell to prying the lid off the oatmeal and digging in with a plastic spoon.

  An aluminum wrapped plate featured warm bacon and a covered bowl held warm, hard boiled eggs.

  “What a clever idea,” Penny said. She cracked the shell against the wicker basket to no avail.

  “Here,” Cash said taking the egg. He took out a pocket knife, opened the blade and tapped the blunt edge against the shell. It cracked and he handed it back to her.

  “Thank you,” she said as she began pulling off shell fragments. He watched her, his eyes burning a hole in her ski
n. She was about to take a bite when a large hand appeared and grabbed the hand with the egg. Cash bit off the top half of the egg and released her hand—along with half of the egg. He smiled at her while he chewed.

  “Wha…?” Penny asked.

  “Cash!” his sister said.

  “Thanks,” he said around a mouth full of egg. He handed her another egg. She stared at him wondering what was going on in that head of his. Since he wasn’t mean, that meant he was playing around. She could play around, too.

  Still chewing and swallowing, he said, “Want me to crack that one for you?”

  “No, thank you. I watched closely so I know how to do it now.” She took the egg and rolled it around in her hand. All three of them were watching her. Dixie looked incensed, Brand mildly amused and Cash a little wary.

  “It was a joke,” he said still having trouble clearing his mouth of chewed egg.

  Penny said, “So’s this!” She tapped the egg on Cash’s forehead. A satisfying crunching sound was accompanied by Cash’s exclamation.

  He stood up. Slowly. “You want to play?”

  “You took my egg.” Penny was feeling a little wary now. Suddenly she wasn’t sure he was joking around.

  He lifted the oatmeal.

  “Don’t you dare,” she said.

  Brand laughed out loud. Dixie chuckled.

  “How many food fights have I won, Dixie?” He stood over Penny hefting the lidless container of warm oatmeal.

  “Every single one of them!” she said.

  “I don’t want to fight with you.”

  “You started it.”

  “Oh, for Pete’s sake, how old are you?” Penny scoffed. He wouldn’t dare. He was playing around.

  But he did dare. A medium sized blob of oatmeal landed on her head as soon as she looked down at the egg still in her hand. She stood up. Cash grinned. Until she looked at the egg again.

  “Hey, that’s cracked already.” He pointed to his forehead. “You have to peel it before you use it in a food fight.”

  “Who said we’re playing by your rules?” She wiped the oatmeal off her head. Now she had a cracked but unpeeled egg in one hand, and a handful of oatmeal in the other.

  She pulled the hand that held the egg back like she was winding up then pushed the oatmeal into his face. She smooshed it around a bit while Brand and Dixie howled like kids at a Three Stooges movie.