Black Hills Blessing

by A. C. Wilson

  “Will she stay?” Garrett asked, his heart thumping noisily in his chest. He jerked a tan plaid western shirt from the hanger and grabbed a clean pair of jeans.

  “Andy said she was on the fence. We’ve been trying, Garrett, to get her to stay.” Matt’s voice penetrated the cloud that had wreathed itself around Garrett’s head. “I believe it is going to come down to you.” His brother sighed on his end and spoke to Harper. Garrett barely noticed the lag in conversation. Catching a glance in his bathroom mirror, he shook his head at the week-long stubble and a smear of grease on his cheek.

  “I’m going to get into the shower, Matt. I’ll call you later.” Garrett didn’t wait for an answer. He hung up the phone. Quickly he turned on the shower and grabbed a towel from the rack. Taking just long enough to enjoy the hot shower, Garrett hurried through the rest of his preparations. He found his overnight bag and added a change of clothes. Pulling out his phone, he texted his job foreman to tell him that he was in charge again for a few days. He also shot off a message to Margaret, which came the cryptic reply, “Gotcha.” In an hour, Garrett was on the road to Hot Springs. There was this great sense of an impending event. He didn’t know what answer he was going to get. There wasn’t a manual to tell him how this should go, but he was going to do it.

  And hope to God I don’t screw it up!

  By the time Garrett reached the ranch’s turnoff, he felt like he was on a caffeine high. He was nervous and he was determined. It was a heady combination as he pulled his black Dodge truck onto Rayne’s road. He could see that no porch light was on to illuminate the yard. It looked more abandoned than it had when he’d been first brought to it. His stomach turned and hoped he wasn’t too late. The crunch of his tires reverberated in his head as he drove the last mile and parked his truck next to the barn. He turned off the engine and sat in the quiet.

  No lights. No sounds. He wondered if she had heard him. Surely Ruger would have been barking at a stranger’s presence. Taking a deep breath, Garrett pulled on the lever and let himself out of the truck. Closing the door seemed so loud in the darkness. It was nearly ten o’clock. Deciding it was now or never, Garrett walked across the yard and took the stairs of the porch. His hand trembled as he raised it to knock. From the contact of his knuckles on the kitchen door to the porch light flipping on, it all seemed to play in slow motion. He backed up to the top of the stairs and drew in a deep breath when the kitchen door opened.

  Then there she was. Her long hair in messy curls around her shoulders and her golden eyes wary. She wore the t-shirt he’d left by accident, or maybe not such an accident. He followed the t-shirt to the hem where it ended mid-thigh and noted with an inward groan that her legs were bare. He swallowed hard knowing there was no denying the raw attraction that he still felt with her near. She stepped around the screen door, leaving it open fractionally.

  “What are you doing here?” Her voice was gravelly as she questioned him. Her beautiful face looked tired too. He wondered if she’d had a hard time sleeping like he had.

  “I couldn’t sleep.” He rubbed his sweaty palms on his jeans as he stood there on the porch. “I couldn’t sleep, because I need to talk to you.” He raised a hand as she was about to speak. “I haven’t slept in a week and I drove all the way here to tell you that what you saw, what you think happened, didn’t happen between Lena and me. She’s finished. That part of my life is over.” Garrett rushed through the list of things he wanted her to know. The burst of caffeine had addled his brain or so he guessed. Rayne shook her head and looked down at her bare feet. Her toes were painted a light pink. It was his new favorite color, except for gold. He’d never forget those eyes that haunted his every minute.

  “She’d be a fool not to want you back, Garrett. She was a fool to leave in the first place.” Rayne said absently as she rubbed one foot on top of the other. She was getting cold.

  “I was the fool to walk away, Rayne. I’ve spent a week in a life that isn’t the one that I want anymore.” Garrett stepped forward, his advance not going unnoticed by Rayne. She raised her eyes to his. “I need you, Rayne. I need you in a way that scares the shit out of me.” He couldn’t break the eye contact. He opened himself up. He had nothing to lose by showing her just what she meant to him. He stepped into her so they were barely inches apart. When she breathed deeply, her breasts nearly brushed his chest. No one spoke. There wasn’t a sound in the soft yellow porch light. He saw her swallow and her lips trembled.

  “Did you mean what you said?” Rayne faltered and took a breath. “The night outside the bar, did you mean it?” Her eyes blinked rapidly and he saw the misty tears inside. She hadn’t written him off. She wasn’t going to back away. The very knowledge was a relief the likes of which he had never felt. He could only nod his head as the words failed him. She looked down and her hair fell into her face. It shielded her eyes from his view. He closed his eyes as his hands ached to reach out and hold her. A half sob startled him back to the present and not being able to hold it back any longer, Garrett pulled her gently into his body. A moment of rigid defense slipped away and she sank against him. An enormous amount of relief filled him all at once as he wrapped his arms around her.

  “I love you, Rayne.” He whispered loudly into her ear, his breath moving the little hairs at her neck. She clutched his shirt front in both hands and leaned up to press her lips to his. What was meant to be a gentle kiss only ignited a spark, a wall jumping flame that flashed to life. There was no containing the passion and relief that burst upon them. Garrett threw all caution to the wind and made good on his promise to never leave her wanting.

  Chapter 28

  Rayne held her breath as Garrett kissed the softness of her inner thigh. She felt sure that she’d died and gone to an alternate universe. For the last week she’d gone into a trance, so afraid that she’d wake up and realize Garrett was never coming back. It hurt. It was a pain that had only found a miracle cure when she’d opened the door to him standing on her porch.

  “Sweet, Rayne, so sweet.” Hot breath murmured against her skin and she shivered, not from cold, but from desperate need. Every nerve trembled and her core begged for him to fill her. His lips felt like velvet against her nakedness, lifting his old shirt out of the way as he kissed her stomach. She hadn’t bothered to remove his t-shirt she wore to bed and he hadn’t found it to impede his view. They’d stumbled erratically into the living room from the porch, only pausing their feverish kissing when she’d bumped into the wall. He’d murmured an apology against her lips and pulled her up around his hips. The thrill she’d experienced being lifted and carried across the room was only gasoline to a fire. Desire burned hotter than it ever had before.

  “Please, Garrett, please…,” she begged as he covered her mouth with his fingertips. Her voice might be silenced, but her body was not. She lifted her hips up to cradle his own. She brushed her hands across the top of his jeans, struggling with the button for a second, and then breathing a sigh as it came loose. He growled against her breasts as he moved upwards still.

  “I swear, my love, your demands will be the death of me.” He raised himself up so he could look into her eyes. All Rayne could do was smile brilliantly and wink. Garrett chuckled, warm and low against her neck. She couldn’t believe that she’d never said it before. She couldn’t believe the words had only been hinted at in her head, but she wanted to remedy that. She skimmed her palm up his ribs and to his shoulder.

  “Garrett?” His name a prayer and question on her lips. Warm, chocolate brown eyes blinked as he came up for air. “I love you, Garrett.” The words sent a tremor through her and then she realized that it might be from him too. A slow twitch of his lips and Garrett kissed her mouth gently and with great care. His fingers slipped into her hair and cradled her skull. He pulled back fractionally and brushed the tip of his nose to hers.

  “You can’t believe how long I’ve waited to hear that.” His words were filled with desire, hope and purpose. Garrett Johnson knew where he was
headed and knew what future he wanted. Rayne was as sure of that as she was that she needed air to breathe. She knew with the same conviction that he was her future; beginning, middle, and end. They spent the rest of evening making up for lost time and sometime near daybreak, they cuddled in each other’s arms. Her eyelids were heavy with a deep contentment. She could feel Garrett’s hot breath against her neck.

  “I hear you are going to be an uncle again.” Rayne’s heart beat hard against her chest.

  Could he hear it? She took a deep breath to try and slow it down.

  “Mmm, that’s what I hear too.” Garrett murmured, his fingers playing lightly against her bare stomach. He drew tiny circles around her belly button and slightly lower. The loving touch guided her to say what was on her mind.

  “Do you ever wonder what it would be like to be a father?” Rayne asked, trying to sound conversational, but hearing a hitch in her breathing, she knew he was on to her. He pulled her closer to his body and she could feel the banging of his own heart. It made her feel better.

  “Sometimes I do. Andy and my brother are very lucky.” Garrett pressed his lips to the spot just below her ear. It sent a shiver down her spine. Rayne couldn’t contain a giggle.

  “Do you think we could try it?” Rayne fought the giggles, but once the question was asked, her breath hitched in her throat. She couldn’t breathe.

  What is he going to think? I can’t do this. Panic started to seep into her conscience. Garrett didn’t speak. He stayed as still as he could. The only reason she knew he was still behind her was the banging of his heart against her back. The time seemed interminable, but in all likelihood, it was a minute or two. His grip tightened around her stomach. Rayne fought the urge to squirm.

  “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?” Garrett asked her, his voice very soft next to her ear. Rayne couldn’t help the grin that broke her nervousness. She shook her head.

  “No, I’m not pregnant, if that is what you are asking. I would like to be though.” Rayne ran her hand over the outside of his until they both rested on her belly. He rested his chin on the curve of her bare shoulder. His breath moved a hair by her ear.

  “Are you sure you’re ready for that? I mean, after everything that happened.” Garrett nuzzled her neck in a sweet gesture of comfort. Rayne’s heart ached for what she had experienced, but this place and Garrett had reaffirmed her hope of having a child. A child with the man she loved was even better.

  “It wasn’t my choice to get pregnant the first time. It just happened.” Rayne shifted and turned in his arms to face him. She looked him in the eye. She wanted him to understand exactly what she was saying. “I want to be a mother. I want to hold your child in my arms and I want that child to know that love was absolutely a factor of its creation.” Miraculously there were no tears, but her chest tensed. This was the biggest things she’d ever asked of someone and it was the biggest leap of faith she’d ever taken.

  “Let’s work on it.” Garrett kissed her lips. Rayne smiled slowly.

  “You mean it?” She tried to keep in check the giddiness that bubbled inside, but it was thwarting her grasp. Garrett chuckled and brushed a stray hair from her cheek.

  “If you want it, I want it. Where you go, I’ll go. You are the one I want from this day forward.” He cupped her jaw and looked into her eyes. Rayne fell harder in that moment. She’d fallen in love with this South Dakota cowboy, but now she truly loved him. A tear slipped down her cheek and his thumb brushed it away.

  “I want us, Garrett. I want to stay here and raise our babies. You’re the one I want from this day forward.” She repeated his vow to him, feeling each word so sincerely it filled her heart. He smiled and shook his head.

  “I wanted you to stay here. I needed to hear you say that you wanted to stay.” Garrett’s relief was evident on his face. The early streaks of light filtered into the living room and casted shadows on his handsome face. “I don’t want there to be any more secrets between us. I want you to know you can tell me anything. I’m not going anywhere ever again.” The seriousness in his face captured Rayne and she couldn’t do anything but give her full attention. She nodded, wondering where this was going. “Black Hills Legacy Group funded the payments for the ranch’s back taxes and the mortgage. My father, brother, and I are the Black Hills Legacy Group.” He lowered his voice, but kept the eye contact. Rayne felt a riot of emotions attack her all at once. She tilted her head to try and filtered the information she’d just gotten. Garrett had paid off the back taxes and her mortgage. He would never have told her about it had they not gotten back together? She felt certain that was true. As a testament to the guy he is, he’d still given it the green light even after they’d walked away from each other.

  There might not have been a future for us. She sniffed and blinked quickly to dispel the mist that filled her eyes. She’d cried so much since she’d met him. It was a wonder she had tears left!

  “Why did you do that?” It was the question that was most burning in her mind. She needed to know. He rolled onto his back and pulled her with him. She adjusted herself to his side and trailed her fingertips along his chest as he had done her stomach.

  “You never had a chance to do what you wanted. You needed to make your own choice about what you wanted, where you needed to be, and the debts of the ranch would have forced you to sell it. Roots are important and family is important too. I wanted you to choose me.” Garrett watched her. Everything he’d said was the truth. Once the ranch was free and clear, she’d whole-heartedly chosen stay. Knowing Garrett knew and understood this about her, well, that was a rare blessing.

  “Thank you.” It was all she could say. She kissed his chest, right about his heart in reverence. He curved his finger at her and she giggled breathlessly. Inching her way up so that their faces were inches apart, Garrett grinned as only he could. Instantly naughty thoughts popped into her head.

  “You can thank me properly.” Garrett chuckled as her eyes widened. Rayne rubbed her bare thigh over his muscular one. In turn he shifted his knee against the place she desperately wanted him.

  “How’s that?” She asked, a wicked gleam in her eye. She felt a delicious heat bloom inside her.

  “We need practice if we’re going to get the baby we want.” He kissed her so strongly, it curled her toes. Rayne snuggled up against him and gave into the sweet cravings of longing.

  He said “we”. The baby we want. She’d never known such love before. This was where she belonged. This was the life she wanted. She had been truly blessed. Rayne said a quick prayer of thanks and let herself be carried away by the persuasive affection of her cowboy.

  About the Author

  A.C. Wilson lives in Abilene, Kansas with her husband, two sons, and their chocolate lab. She loves to be outdoors, playing with her boys and absolutely loves to write.

  The Black Hills Series came from her mother’s idea to use Hot Springs, South Dakota as a home town for the Johnson family. Everything about the Black Hills is enchantingly rugged and of course, there are cowboys!

  Check out her young adult contemporary romantic series. Black Hills Angel (Book 1), Black Hills Blessing (Book 2), Black Hills Rebel (Book 3), Black Hills Secrets (Book 4) and Black Hills Forever (Book 5 coming Summer 2015).

  Four novellas will also accompany this series as Black Hills Seasons presents the stories of the supporting characters that readers have requested. Watch for them in late 2015 or early 2016.

  Please feel free to connect with her on social media.

  www.facebook.com/acwilson2013

  www.facebook.com/blackhillsseries

  www.twitter.com/acwilson_author

  http://awilsoncornell.wix.com/acwilson

 

 

 
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