FieldofPlay

by Frances Stockton

  “Call me Ransom, please. This place has been in my family for many years,” Ransom stated, nodding in approval. “It’s where I hid you and Chumani until Joseph and I decided how to protect you both.”

  “Do you still have the photo booth?” Dallas inquired.

  “It’s not digital as the booths are these days,” Ransom said. “But it is here.”

  “Does it work?” Dallas asked.

  Ransom nodded his head. “Yes. It’s quite the conversation piece. Kids around here say it’s retro.”

  “Could you show us?” Dallas requested, tapping Grace’s hip to get her to stand.

  She stood with a little help from his father. “You love my son, Grace?”

  “More than words can say,” she answered, smiling. “And I know you love him too.”

  Justin Mathews grinned. “He’s a lucky man.”

  Grace flushed. “I’m the lucky one. Dallas is as handsome as his father.”

  “Flattery will get you a hug.” Justin stretched out his arms and she went into his embrace.

  “And me, please?” Chumani asked with a little more hesitation.

  Grace turned to her. “You have a fine son. I’m honored.” She hugged Chumani, being careful not to overwhelm the smaller woman.

  “Tunkasila, would you show me the photo booth?” Dallas asked again, taking Grace’s hand.

  “Follow me.” Ransom bowed his head in respect for Dallas’ use of language he hadn’t spoken much since he was ten. Some things were never forgotten, and now that Dallas had found his heritage, he wanted to sit down with his grandfather and find out more about the Lakota nation he’d descended from.

  Dallas took Grace’s hand and escorted her back out to the main sales floor. Again he was struck by the scents of wood, loose tobacco, leather and a recently smoked pipe.

  Phalen sat beside a middle-aged man, sharing the pipe.

  “What are you two doing?” Dallas asked.

  “My friend Kangee Akecheta here has been telling me about a family feud that’s dated as far back as the time that Wild Bill played cards in Deadwood. Did you know that they resolved the feud thirty-two years ago in order to save the life of a month-old baby with whooping cough?” Phalen took the pipe from Kangee, offering it. “I’m told Ransom and Joseph smoked something just like this when peace came between these families.”

  “Hi, Kangee,” Grace greeted the man. “I’m Grace Daniels.”

  “Hi, I’m Chayton’s much better looking and much younger brother,” Kangee said. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. This fellow here says you’re Dallas’ girlfriend.”

  Grace nodded. “Yes, I am.”

  “She’s not just my girlfriend,” Dallas interrupted. He looked over at his mother, who stood very close. He bent down, whispering in Lakota, and she nodded in understanding and retreated to the jewelry case. “I still need that booth.”

  “What booth?” Phalen asked.

  “This one,” Ransom answered, sweeping his hand out to the left to reveal the old-fashioned photo booth. Dallas had last seen something like this at a carnival when he was twelve. He’d gone with his mom and dad and Aaron.

  “Take a photo with me, Gracie,” Dallas invited.

  “I’d love to,” she said, letting him guide her across the room.

  Dallas swept the faded, blue curtain aside. The booth was retro and hardly equal to the ones at local malls today, but when he looked inside, he imagined the countless teenagers who may have sat on the bench and smiled for the camera. They’d all have a memory. Today Dallas wanted to make one of his own.

  He reached out for Grace’s hand and brought her to sit on his lap. It took a second to figure out what buttons to push. He also needed coins to make it work. He started to reach into his pocket until his grandfather handed him a quarter.

  “That’ll do, son,” Ransom assured.

  Dallas thanked him and took the coin. Right then, his mother returned from her mission and gave him what he’d need. He grinned at Chumani, winking.

  “Gracie,” he said, plugging the coin into the machine. He heard something mechanical kick into gear.

  “Dallas?”

  Hugging her close, he set his chin on her shoulder. “Will you be my wife?”

  “Ohmigod,” she gasped, hardly making a sound as he grabbed for her left hand and slid his ring onto her finger. “Oh god, yes, yes, oh yes.” On her last yes, Dallas wedged her around just enough to kiss her. The flash went off, blinding him for a moment. He didn’t have to see right then. All he needed was the taste of Grace Daniels saying yes.

  “I’m guessing congratulations are in order?” Phalen asked, crowding up to the booth with the others. Grace jumped, drawing back and offering Dallas the sweetest, softest smile he’d ever seen.

  “You’re looking at my fiancée,” Dallas answered.

  “It’s about damn time, D,” Phalen claimed, grinning.

  “Come on out, son, I think your picture’s done,” Ransom said.

  Dallas assisted Grace out of the booth. Not caring if the photo was ready, he turned to face his woman again. “You won’t regret it, Grace,” he vowed and cupped the sides of her face. “I’ll take care of you for the rest of my life.”

  “I love you, Dallas. I’ll take care of you too,” she stated, going up a little on tiptoe to give him another kiss.

  Phalen made a strange, choking sound deep in his throat. “Wow, D, this is some photo.”

  Reluctantly stepping back from Grace, Dallas turned to look at the strip of photos Phalen showed him. He’d caught the moment Grace said yes with her kiss. Her face was in profile, but it glowed, even in black and white. She looked up at him with love.

  “I hope my woman looks at me like that soon,” Phalen admitted quietly, looking a little envious as he grabbed Grace by the shoulders and hugged her. He whispered something to her. Dallas thought it was about taming wolves.

  “We’re very happy for you both,” Justin said.

  “Thank you,” Grace murmured softly, her face flushed a pretty pink. She looked at her hand, saw the handcrafted Black Hills Gold fitted with a small diamond on her ring finger, and her face lit up like a kid who’d gotten what she’d wanted for Christmas.

  Dallas knew it wasn’t a fancy platinum ring with a gigantic rock. But it was beautiful and genuine, like Grace.

  “This is lovely and so much more than I could ever want,” she told him, lifting her chin to look up at him. “I love you so much.”

  “Love you too, baby, always,” he promised. “So now that we’ve got that settled, how about we take my family out to lunch.”

  There was still so much to talk about and understand. But what was important to Dallas was the knowledge that everything had been done for his sake.

  “If you want me to sit this one out, D, let me know. I’ll go with Kangee.”

  “No, you helped bring this about,” Dallas said. “You arranged to have my parents here, didn’t you?”

  “I suspected Ransom and Joseph would bring them here, yes,” Phalen said. “That’s one reason why I delayed us in Sioux Falls for the night. Plus, you two needed to make up.”

  “Make up for what?” Chumani asked out of concern.

  “A misunderstanding,” Grace answered. “We worked it out.”

  “Good. I can tell you love my son. At the end of the night, make sure you remind each other of your love, especially when you fight.”

  “We will,” Grace stated.

  Joseph led everyone out of the shop. It was chilly and starting to snow.

  “We can walk the mile to Deadwood,” Joseph said. “Or we can go to Ransom’s house in the back there.”

  “My house,” Ransom decided.

  Dallas placed his hand at Grace’s waist, escorting her down the short lane to a small, rustic cabin. Though it looked to be built in the late 1800s, it had withstood the test of time.

  Amazed that he was reunited with his birth parents, he glanced over at them. Justin and Chumani were walking ha
nd in hand. Dallas didn’t ask them what it meant. The two had been apart for years. If his attempt to reconnect with his parents had brought them back together, he’d be proud.

  Ransom’s cabin was small, tidy and comfortable. They claimed seats and talked for hours. At some point, Chumani and Grace went into the kitchen to make sandwiches. While they ate, they talked some more. It wasn’t until dark that Dallas, Grace and Phalen got into their rental car and drove off, with Chumani and Justin waving as they went.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Hours after meeting Dallas’ family, Grace was glad when Phalen parked the crossover in the hotel parking lot. There were a few inches of snow on the ground, but it had stopped snowing when they’d left Deadwood.

  She didn’t say much to Phalen after they went inside. He waved at them and Dallas led her down the hall to their room.

  “I can’t wait to go home in the morning,” Grace said as Dallas closed the door. She heard him flip the safety bar into place.

  “Me too, baby,” he agreed. “First thing I’ll do when we get there is call Kyran and Anna and get you out of the lease. I’m sure they’ll understand that I want my fiancée to live with me.”

  Looking at the ring claiming her left hand, Grace’s heart flipped over. Dallas had placed it on her finger. It fit perfectly and she vowed to never remove it. “I’m sure they will too. The apartment is great, furnished and reasonably priced. They’ll get a tenant soon.”

  She felt him come up behind her, knew the moment his hands would settle at her hips and sighed in contentment as he pulled her back against him. It felt so good and right, yet as new and exciting. His warm breath fanned the side of her face, down her neck and through her hair. He nuzzled her tresses, seeking to kiss where her collarbone was exposed. Little zings of pleasure rippled over her skin, renewing her desire.

  He continued to nip and kiss, paying sweet loving homage to the chains he’d placed on her body weeks ago. “I’m glad you said yes to the chains and the ring that I’ll put on you tomorrow night,” he whispered. “I admit I’d been planning to propose during the playoff game.”

  “I’d have liked that,” she admitted.

  He kept kissing, kept nipping, setting her on fire. “I know you would have, Gracie. When I saw that ring, I knew it was meant for you. I couldn’t leave Ransom’s shop without knowing you’d be a permanent part of my life.”

  Loving his gentleness after his wickedness the night before, Grace slowly turned in Dallas’ arms. “I’m in your life now, McKay. Always and forever,” she vowed, lifting up on her toes the fraction she’d need to kiss him.

  Minutes later, Dallas withdrew and began to remove her clothes. Not a part of her went untouched or kissed. Once she was naked except for his love chains and her engagement ring, he kissed her face, her lips, her ears and her throat, sending her heart soaring. When he lifted her into his arms to carry her to their bed, she felt light as a feather, beautiful.

  Amazingly, he set her down with the utmost care, proceeding to make love to her. Never more confident in her life, Grace loved him right back. Hours later, with the lights still on and their covers shoved to the floor, she rested her head on Dallas’ chest, loving the sound of his heartbeat.

  “Dallas?”

  “Gracie?”

  “You’re very quiet. Anything you want to talk about?”

  “I’m still absorbing it all, baby,” he admitted. “I found my parents, grandfathers and an uncle today. And I have another brother and sister to meet. I realized how difficult it must have been for them to give me away. They had to have been very scared.”

  “When we made lunch, your mother told me giving you up had been the most difficult decision she’d ever done. But she was so worried that the agency might try to find you that she was happy when your adoption became official.”

  “She was a brave woman.” Dallas ran his hand down her spine, sending goose bumps all over her skin. “Are you cold, Gracie?”

  “No, no, I’m fantastic,” she reassured honestly. “And relieved.”

  “About what?”

  “That we forgave each other yesterday,” she admitted. “Here I am, Grace Daniels, with Dallas McKay’s ring on my finger, and that makes me the luckiest woman on this planet. From now on, if we piss each other off, I am going to stay and work it out, swear.” She offered her hand, pinky extended. Dallas wrapped his pinky around hers.

  “That goes both ways, swear,” he said.

  “So do you think we should set a date?”

  “I was hoping for spring. We can have a long honeymoon before I have to report to Griffins training camp in the summer.”

  “That would be perfect.”

  “Maybe we can set the date for April, when the cherry blossoms are blooming in the backyard? If you’re willing, I think we can put on a big wedding. Lord knows we’re going to need a lot of room for all our family members.”

  “And we’ll need one of those gigantic tents in case it rains. I’m sure Max would love to romp and play among the guests.”

  “It’s more like he’ll try to eat the cake. I’ll call my mom and dad in the morning and invite them to the playoff game. Mom’s going to go crazy when she hears about us.”

  Grace smiled and hugged him close. He was still adjusting to finding his birth parents, but he was a courageous and honorable man. He’d make sure that he remained an integral part of both families.

  “Well, it’s only fair. I’m crazy about her son. I’d like us to take my parents out for dinner and let my family know our plans.”

  Dallas smoothed his hand through her hair, grasped a handful at her nape and brought her head up to look at him. “Tell your dad I want to hear all about his Civil War class.”

  “Careful what you wish for, he’ll keep you listening for hours,” she said. “But I’m sensing you have something else on your mind.”

  “I’ve been wondering why Phalen’s been whispering to you about wolves all day.”

  Suddenly nervous, Grace gulped. “Yesterday he used the analogy of alpha wolves to explain why you’d never let me go without a fight.”

  Dallas stared at her for a second. “That’s because he knows you’re mine, Gracie.”

  She smiled. “You are wolfish at times, especially when you spank me or tie me up or teach me about the wilder side of sex. But I love the alpha in you.”

  “How about switching for the rest of the night?” Dallas offered. “You can be the wolf.”

  “Are you sure?” Knowing exactly what she’d do to him if he said yes, Grace pushed herself up to her elbows.

  “I love you. You’re the only one I can trust enough to give control to in bed,” he stated, intense heat gleaming in his eyes.

  “We don’t have any toys with us.”

  “I tossed some neckties in my bag,” he told her. “I’m yours. Do what you will.” He rocked back, spreading his arms above his head in sacrifice.

  Naked and gorgeous, he looked like a Sioux warrior from an ancient past. Grace was tempted to get the ties. She wanted to eat him up from head to toe, making every inch of him hers. Since it was her call, she was going to save that trick for another night. Right now, she wanted to fuck her man.

  Climbing onto him, she leaned in and kissed him, shoving her tongue deep into his mouth and devouring him. Rubbing her body all over his, kissing him, and loving the feel of his hard muscle beneath her soft curves and silver chains, she rose up and took his big, thick cock into her pussy.

  He felt huge and familiar and wonderful as she sank down his length. “Hello, handsome,” she said.

  “Hello, beautiful,” he greeted, obediently keeping his hands above his head.

  Dallas honored his word and let her take the reins, allowing her to fall in love with him all over again as she rode him straight to heaven.

  The End

  About the Author

  My love for storytelling began when I created my first fictional characters in kindergarten, convincing my family and friends t
hat Red Henry and Green Henry were identical twin brothers in my school. They were mischievous, rarely did their homework, and even had girlfriends! Years later, I started to write, completing my first manuscript in middle school. I confess the heroine was a cross between a contemporary Laura Ingalls Wilder and Nancy Drew, who’d been dating one of the Hardy Boys, but when I wrote “the end” I’d known I had more stories to tell. Of course, life intervened, but whether I was in high school, working as a Veterinary Technician, earning a degree in history and secondary education, or teaching, I was always writing and reading romances.

  Finally, I met and married my hero and moved to New England. Shortly after, I joined RWA and the New England Chapter and have been writing faithfully ever since. Now I am proud to be an author with Ellora’s Cave Publishing.

  Frances welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website and email address on her author bio page at www.ellorascave.com.

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  Also by Frances Stockton

  Quarterback Blitz

  Rhiannon’s Pride

  Sea Captain’s Ghost

  Seductive Persuasion

  Print books by Frances Stockton

  Rhiannon’s Pride

  Seductive Persuasion

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