Cowgirl Come Home

by Debra Salonen - Big Sky Mavericks 03 - Cowgirl Come Home

  But, what if they were rushing things? Was Paul prepared for the flack he’d get from his family? How would his kids handle the idea of a stepmother?

  “By this, do you mean make love or get married?”

  “Both.”

  She stepped into the trailer, drawn to the bear-hug size bouquet of stargazer lilies. Her favorite. He remembered.

  He locked the door and pulled her into his arms. “Then, my answer is yes and…yes. I’d toss you over my shoulder and carry you to the Justice of the Peace if I thought I could get away with it, but I suppose we should let our families get used to the idea, huh?”

  She wiggled her hips against his. “Guess what? I don’t care what anybody thinks.”

  His eyes narrowed with a look of lust and purpose. “No parents, kids, jobs, history or regrets?”

  She shrugged out of her shirt, tossing it carelessly over the chair. “None.”

  She unbuckled her belt, unzipped and kicked off her boots, with no real grace. The only thing she needed right now was confirmation that he loved her.

  He dropped to one knee and pressed a kiss to her bare belly. “I love you, Bailey. Will you marry me?”

  She didn’t hesitate this time. “Yes. My heart’s always been here. With you, Paul. I finally feel like I’m home.”

  “Home to stay, I hope.”

  “And then some.”

  There was so much Paul wanted to say, but he decided to let his feelings do the talking. He kissed her the way a dying man welcomed light and hope back into his life.

  He closed his eyes and experienced the feel, the taste, the heady aroma of the stargazer lilies he’d ordered off the Internet. “I feel like I’m home, too—even though I never left. Does that make sense?”

  She worked his shirt over his shoulders. “Nope. But we never did. Maybe that’s what makes us perfect for each other.”

  “Yin and yang?”

  She moved back to unbuckle his belt. “Now, don’t go all California on me.”

  Her low throaty chuckle shot straight to his groin. His jeans shrunk a size or two, which made getting out of them a team effort. Luckily, she was patient and very good with her hands.

  They climbed into the elevated bed, ripping back the covers like two kids playing hide and seek. Only this game was for all the marbles.

  They rolled together, naked limbs accommodating naked limbs. Desire obvious. “I brought protection.”

  “Better safe than sorry?”

  “I would never be sorry if we got pregnant, Bailey. I want more kids. I want your kids. Tell me you feel the same.”

  He didn’t have to hold his breath for long. “If we’re that lucky, Paul, I will be over the moon for nine months. If…if we try and things don’t work out…” Her voice dropped. “Will that be a deal-breaker?”

  He squeezed her so tight she gave a little peep. “Never. But there would be some poetic justice if we had to get married, wouldn’t it? How would you feel about trying right from the get-go?”

  “Didn’t we accidentally do that? In the shower in Reno?”

  He blushed. “True. Do you think you’re…?”

  She frowned. “I’ve never been that lucky. We didn’t use birth control the whole time Ross and I were married and…nothing.”

  “Maybe he was shooting blanks.”

  “Do you mean a vasectomy? Trust me, Ross had too much ego.”

  “I didn’t mean that. He started bull riding pretty young, didn’t he? Maybe he damaged his baby making parts.”

  “Oh. That never occurred to me. I blamed myself. I thought maybe something happened inside me when…you know.”

  He kissed her forehead, her eyes and the corner of her mouth. “If conceiving turns out to be a problem, we’ll see a specialist. No worries. Okay?”

  Her smile made his insides expand almost to the hurting point. “Sounds like a plan. In the meantime, how are your baby-making parts?”

  She reached between them to fondle his junk. “I’ve heard jockeying a desk can be hazardous to your health, too.” His anatomy answered. “No impediment here, I see.”

  They proceeded to take pleasure in each other, but more than that, they loved one another. With mouth and tongue, lips and body. Like alchemists, they took separate elements of need and desire and combined them in the most powerful aphrodisiac known to man—lust.

  When he entered her, she moaned greedily. “Yes. You’re finally mine, cowboy. I need to do this.” She gently pushed him onto his back and threw a leg over. “Cliché, right? Cowgirl on top?”

  He palmed her breasts, so captivated by her beauty and the blood pooling in his groin, he murmured the only answer possible. “Huh?”

  She covered his hands with hers and laughed. “I love you, Paul Zabrinski.” Then, she fell forward, hands on either side of his head, a look of intense focus on her face. “You…have… no…idea…how…much.” Her hips ground in a tight circle, emphasizing each word.

  His juices pulsed, lifting him off the bed.

  They rode the wild, ageless tussle straight to a peak where earth and stars met in one fiery explosion. Bailey’s cry of completion resonated in his ears, as sweet a sound as any he’d ever heard. He followed her to that point and beyond with a shout of utter triumph.

  She dropped to his chest, spent and breathing hard.

  “I love you, Bailey Jenkins,” he said, stroking her hair, her bare back. “Thank you for loving me.”

  She nuzzled his neck. “You’re welcome, stud.”

  They stayed locked in each other’s arms, too content to move, until a faint chirping sound made Bailey lift her head. “Your phone or mine?”

  “Yours. Mine is turned off.”

  She drew in a big breath. “Well, as much as I’d like to spend the night with you, I can’t. I have to unload the boxes in the back of Dad’s truck so I can finish packing up the tables and displays tomorrow. There’s a deadline.”

  “Tell me about it.” He groaned. “Big Z’s outdoor adventure booth nearly killed me.”

  She scooted sideways until only one leg remained across him. “It was gorgeous. Dad was really impressed. Said the fake stream reminded him of Spring Creek.”

  He pulled back slightly so he could look her in the eye. “Really? I’ve been thinking about setting up the display in the store. Like you see in those big box Outdoor Rec stores. I even thought OC might consider coming to work for me. Maybe teach the basics of fly-fishing, making flies, stream fishing, hunting, and gun safety…you know, the kinds of things he could do in his sleep.”

  Bailey’s mouth gaped in surprise.

  “Having the Fish Whisperer on staff would be great for business, don’t you agree?”

  Bailey hugged him fiercely. “Paul, that’s a fabulous idea. Mom and I have been wracking our brains trying to come up with something OC could do this winter besides sitting around feeling sorry for himself.”

  “Will you ask him or do you want me to?”

  She blinked coyly. “Well, if you’re serious about marrying me, you probably should—”

  “Done,” he said, “’Bout time.’”

  “You asked him? When?”

  “When I gave him the ride tickets and told him about my plan to propose on the Ferris wheel.”

  She slugged him playfully. “You sneak. Did Mom know?”

  “Of course.”

  She flopped back, giggling. “Small towns. What have I done?”

  He reversed positions, pinning her arms overhead. “Don’t tell me you’re already having regrets.”

  Her eyes sparkled with mischief and joy. “Never. But that doesn’t mean I can’t give you a hard time.”

  “True. You always have.”

  Her teeth worried her bottom lip. “Which is why I’m so good at it.”

  She squirmed, her naked breasts inches from his lips. “Among other things.”

  He licked one deliciously pointy tip. She arched into him with a soft moan. To his shock, he went hard and any chance of her leav
ing disappeared.

  So much for good intentions, he thought. They had a lot to do—including planning a wedding, but all that could wait for tomorrow…after they broke the news to his family.

  *

  “You told Austen the truth about your mother?”

  Louise’s hands squeezed the plastic grips on the wheelchair so tight her arthritic knuckles started to pulse in pain. She consciously eased back and made herself take a deep breath.

  “I took the blame. I told him I did what I was thought was right for Bailey and his brother.”

  “What did he say?”

  “Not much. He’s a lawyer. But, at least, the truth is out there.”

  The truth.

  What was the truth? Had she failed her daughter by giving into Oscar’s my-way-or-the-highway tough love tactic? The doubt ate her up inside for weeks after Bailey left. She’d nearly suffered a breakdown.

  Oddly enough, Marla had been the one to reach out and pull Louise back to the world of the living. Marla had called Louise’s blues “empty nest syndrome,” and she’d cheerfully coerced Louise into going to Helena for a weekend of shopping, movies, spa treatments and one impulse buy.

  Louise touched the tiny butterfly tattoo above her left breast. Her private memorial. “I want to call Marla. You can talk to people in prison, can’t you?”

  Oscar turned in his seat to look at her. “Why, for God’s sake?”

  “To tell her I don’t hate her. Maybe if I’d been a better friend—if I’d paid more attention—things wouldn’t have gotten so crazy.”

  He shrugged. “When are we going to take care of Jack’s ashes? I want to get that done before you and Bailey start planning a wedding.”

  Louise’s heart skipped a beat. “Do you think she’ll say yes?”

  Oscar reached over his shoulder and patted her hand. “Our daughter may be just as stubborn and pig-headed as her old man, but she’s got her mother’s brains. She’ll say yes. I’d put money on it.”

  Louise pictured the cash box she’d tucked in her purse. “Speaking of money…I think our daughter is going to be very successful in her new career.”

  “Was there any doubt? Bailey Jenkins never does anything halfway. She’s going to help put Marietta on the map.”

  They’d reached the car. The parking lot was three-quarters empty, but a continual stream of people hauling things to trucks made the area seem busy and alive.

  Louise suddenly felt excited to be alive and facing a future primed with possibilities. Bailey was back to stay. Oscar’s rebound was nothing short of miraculous.

  Impulsively, she blocked the door when he reached for it.

  “What? Did you forget something?”

  She reached down and locked the brake then carefully sat on his lap. “Yes. I believe I did. I forgot to tell you how much I love you, Oscar Jenkins. And how proud I am of your recovery.”

  It was too dark to tell for certain if he blushed, but his smile looked embarrassed. He’d never handled praise well—maybe because he experienced so little of it growing up.

  “I’m not done, yet, you know. I plan to walk again.”

  “I know. And I think we should wait to spread Jack’s ashes until you can walk to Spring Creek…even with a cane.” Their foreheads touched, and she said softly, “I think he’d like to know you’re back on your feet.”

  She felt his nod. “You’ve got a deal. Maybe I’ll be able to walk Bailey down the aisle, too.”

  Louise had to blink away tears when they kissed. “You will, my love. I know you will.”

  Moments later, with the kind of impossible synchronicity that only happens in the movies, a loud boom, followed by a burst of fireworks that lit up the sky, marked the close of the Big Marietta Fair.

  “This fair is one we’ll never forget, huh?” Oscar asked, wrapping his arms around her as she settled against his chest to watch the show.

  Louise nodded, too overwhelmed with emotion to speak. The best in fifteen long years. But, with luck and love, this fair would be one of many they’d enjoy with Bailey, Paul and the children. For the first time in too long to remember, Louise—book lover that she was—could see a storybook ending in her family’s future. One she couldn’t wait to watch unfold.

  Epilogue

  October in Montana was glory personified, Bailey thought, closing the gap of sweater at her throat. But nearly as chilly as a foggy winter morning in California’s Central Valley.

  The cold she could handle as long as it came with brilliant sunlight and a sky so big and blue it almost made a person weep.

  Of course, she’d been an emotional mess ever since the plastic indicator showed a plus sign. Pregnant! The doctor confirmed: Reno. A shower neither she nor Paul would ever forget.

  “How you doing, sweetheart? Too cold for you?”

  Paul took his right hand off the steering wheel of the ATV to pat her knee. He’d traded in the tandem model for one that seated four, but since the children were with Jen this weekend, the backseat held her parents.

  At long last, they were completing OC’s promise to his best friend.

  “I’m fine. Perfect. I only wish we were on horseback. Being outside like this makes me realize how much I miss riding.” To be safe, she’d opted not to get back on a horse until after the baby was born.

  Not that she’d had time to ride. The wedding was scheduled for the following Saturday. And even though they’d planned a simple, mostly family affair at the Graff Hotel, weddings were a lot of work, she’d discovered.

  She was both excited and terrified. Between Paul’s mother and hers, their low-key event was turning into something considerably more elegant—storybook, even. Far different from anything they could have pulled off fifteen years ago. And way more expensive. But with Paul’s parents’ support and the proceeds from the sale of Marla’s junk, Bailey was fairly certain they weren’t going into debt.

  She glanced over her shoulder and smiled at her mother. Mom and Marla spoke once a week. Marla deeply regretted her actions. She’d gotten some help in prison and was taking some kind of medication to stabilize her mood swings. She’d insisted every penny Bailey made from the online sales of her stuff go into the wedding kitty, and to Bailey’s surprise, she’d made enough to book to the Graff’s luxurious honeymoon suite, too.

  OC reached out and tapped Paul on the shoulder. “Just ahead on your left.”

  Paul shot Bailey an amused look.

  Ever since Paul offered OC the job of Big Z’s Community Relations Supervisor, her father had changed.

  He taught himself how to use the computer and spent countless hours on the Internet, watching YouTube videos about fly-fishing, basically teaching himself how to teach.

  To everyone’s surprise, he’d turned into a single-minded, highly focused professional. Decisive, goal-oriented, driven.

  Today’s task had been on his To-Do list for months, but he’d waited for his doctor’s okay before asking Bailey and Paul for their help.

  Paul slowed and made a gradual turn, allowing for rocks and ruts. Although the picnic area at Spring Creek was accessible by four-wheel drive vehicles, the place OC had picked out could only be reached on foot, by horseback or with all-terrain vehicles.

  Paul had volunteered to drive them when he heard about the purpose of OC’s mission.

  “I want to get Jack off the shelf and out in the world again before winter sets in,” OC said a few weeks earlier.

  Paul had looked at Bailey and known intuitively she was thinking the same thing: they could use the opportunity for a little private good-bye of their own.

  Thanks to working at her new shop every day, her ankle was nearly a hundred percent. She’d wrapped it that morning and put on a pair of hiking boots for extra support, but she’d promised Paul she could manage a short hike up river to the spot he’d visited so many years earlier.

  “How’s this, OC?” Paul asked, pulling as close to the embankment as he dared.

  The water was much lower than
it would be in spring, but thanks to recent rains the deep eddies looked bottomless and a few inches of water danced across the shallows.

  “Just fine, Paul. Thank you.”

  Paul jumped out and waited while OC swung his legs over the side, his artificial prosthesis hidden by the heavy duck canvas of his Carhartts, his right boot the same as his left. Paul had seen OC’s artificial limb when the man came into the store to formally apply for the job Paul was offering. “You need full disclosure,” OC said and pulled up his pant leg.

  OC would always walk with a limp—and probably use a cane, but he’d come a long way since Bailey had returned. Most impressive of all, he hadn’t had a drink in nine months.

  “Do you plan to say a few words, Dad?” Bailey asked walking up to them.

  OC looked at Louise, who remained on the bench seat. Paul saw the look of panic in his future father-in-law’s eyes, which was surprising given how flawlessly OC handled the crowds at Big Z Hardware. Even in front of a crowd of a dozen or so who showed up for his first workshop, OC had been glib, ever the showman. Now, he swallowed hard and looked ready to bolt, which everyone knew was not possible.

  Louise eased off the seat with her daughter’s help then stuck her arm through her husband’s and said, “I don’t think Jack would expect anything formal. Why don’t you two go for your hike and when you come back I’ll have the picnic set out. We’ll remember some of the good times and say our goodbyes privately.”

  Bailey looked hesitant. Paul noticed how she sometimes played mother hen to her parents. But now that both Louise and OC were back on their feet financially and health-wise, Paul planned to keep her too busy to worry.

  He took Bailey’s hand. “Good idea. We won’t be long. I want to show Bailey a special spot I found.”

  The autumn sun cast a golden hue through the dying leaves. The path underfoot was slick in places so they took it slow. The nip in the air made his nostrils quiver. Winter would be here before they knew it and in late March they’d welcome a new child to the family.