by Diana Palmer
her mind on the people in the arena. But all it really wanted to do was think about Todd. Her heart raced at the thought that he was here,
somewhere, in this very place. She was close to him again, even if he didn't know it. How wonderful it felt to know that.
There was competition after competition. She sat through bareback bronc riding, steer riding, steer wrestling and calf roping. The competitors
were narrowed down as man after man failed to meet the time limit. Prizes were awarded. And then, finally, the barrel-racing competition was
announced and the first rider was out of the gate.
Cherry was fourth. An excited Jane sat on the edge of her seat. Part of her mourned because she would never compete again. But her heart
raced, her blood surged as she watched Cherry go through her paces, watched the girl match the best time Jane had ever done. There were
cheers when Cherry
rode out of the arena. Jane felt the sting of tears in her eyes as she knew, deep inside, that nobody was going to beat Cherry tonight. All the
hard work and practice and patience had paid off. She felt as if she were in the saddle with her protege. It was a wonderful feeling—the sort a
parent might have, pride in a child.
It was no surprise at all when the winner was announced, and it was Cherry. Jane watched her accept her trophy as flashbulbs went off, and
her proud father gave her a warm hug from the sidelines.
Todd! Jane watched him with an ache that went all the way to her toes. She'd been in his arms, too. She knew how it felt, but in a different
way than a daughter would. She was empty inside, an outsider looking into a warm family circle that she could never share.
It was time to go. She got up from her seat and carefully made her way down to the seats where she'd left Tim and Meg, but they were
nowhere in sight. Perhaps they'd gone to congratulate Cherry, something Jane would love to have done, but she didn't dare. Not with Todd so
close.
With a sigh of pure longing, she went toward the place where they'd left the truck, but she must have forgotten its exact position. She
couldn't seem to find it.
While she was standing among the dark vehicles, searching, mere was a sound nearby and she was suddenly picked up in hard, warm arms
that felt all too familiar.
Her eyes met gray ones in a set face as she was carried toward a waiting black Ferrari.
"Take off those damn glasses," Todd said curtly.
She fumbled them away from her wide, shocked blue eyes. "How did you...?"
"Cherry conspired with Tim and Meg," he replied, turning toward his car.
"Where are they?"
"At the house, waiting for us." He met her eyes as he
reached the car. "They're going to have a long wait," he added sensuously. "We have some lost time to make up."
"Now, you just wait a minute," she began.
"I've waited too damn long already," he breathed as his mouth lowered onto hers and stilled every word in her mouth and every thought in
her whirling brain.
She faltered, trying to decide how to save her pride.
"Give up," he whispered. "Kiss the."
"I can't... We don't... It wouldn't—" she murmured dizzily.
"You can, we do, and it will work," he said on a husky laugh. "We're going to get married and raise several more cowgirls and maybe
even a cowboy or two."
"You don't want to marry someone like the," she said sadly.
"Yes," he told her, his loving eyes on her face. "I want to marry someone exactly like you, a woman who has a heart as beautiful as her face
and body, a woman who loves the and my daughter fiercely. I want you, Jane. Now and forever."
She couldn't believe it was really happening. She looked into his eyes and sailed among the stars.
"I see dreams in your eyes," he said softly. "Marry the, and I'll make them all come true, every one."
"I'm not educated..."
"Neither am I." He kissed her hungrily before he opened the door.
"I'm not sophisticated," she persisted.
"Neither am I." He put her into the passenger seat and carefully belted her in.
"I can't stand high society parties..."
"Neither can I." He closed her door and got in beside her.
"Todd..."
He cranked the powerful engine, reversed the car, eased it out of the parking lot and headed for open country. His hand
found hers after he'd shifted into the final gear, and he held on tight.
"I've been lonely. Have you?" he asked.
"Lonelier than I ever knew I could be," she said, capitulating.
"I wanted to telephone you, or come to see you, but I knew you wouldn't listen. You're as proud as I am."
"Sadly, yes."
"But we'll manage to get along, most of the time. And after we argue, we'll make up."
She smiled, leaning her head on his shoulder. "Oh, yes."
"And Cherry will be the happiest girl in her class when school starts in Jacobsville."
"Are we going to live in Jacobsville?" she asked with a start.
"Of course. I haven't finished saving the ranch yet," he said dryly.
"Oh, I see. So that's it. You want my ranch, you blackhearted villain," she accused and ruined it with a giggle.
"Yes, I do," he said fervently. "Because without the, you'll end up right back in the red again. You'll forget to use purchasing orders
for supplies, you'll get the figures in the wrong columns, you'll forget to keep proper receipts for taxes..."
"Actually," she said sheepishly, "I've already done all those things."
"God help the!"
"Now, now. I'm sure you'll get us in the black again in no time," she said, making a mental note to mess up her accounts before he
took a look at them. "After all, you did start a computer company all by yourself."
He glowered at her. "It was easier than trying to run a ranch, all things considered. At my business, people do what I tell them to."
"I'll do what you tell the to. Some of the time," she replied.
"That's what I was afraid of."
She closed her eyes. "I'll make you like it."
He chuckled and drew her close. "Of course you will."
Halfway home, he found a small dirt track and pulled the
car onto it, under some trees. He turned off the engine and
turned to Jane. He held his arms out and she went into them.
Turbulent minutes later, he lifted his head. Her eyes in the dim light were sparkling with emotion like blue sapphires and she was clinging to
him, trembling faintly as his lean hand smoothed softly over her bare breasts.
"We have to go home," he whispered reluctantly.
"Are you sure?" She reached up and kissed him hungrily.
He groaned, but he pulled back just a fraction of an inch. "Not really. But this isn't wise."
"Why not?"
He glanced in the rearview mirror with a rueful smile and quickly rearranged her disheveled clothing. "Because the lo-cal sheriff's department
has deputies with no romance in their souls."
"How do you..." The flashing lights behind them caught her eye, and she made a shocked sound as a tall man came up to the driver's side
of the car and knocked.
A resigned Todd let the window down and grinned at the unsmiling uniformed man. "I know, this is the wrong place for what we were doing.
But our daughter and several other people are congregated in our living room at home, and there's no privacy anywhere!"
The uniformed man looked from Jane to Todd and made an amused sound deep in his throat. ' I know what you mean. My wife and I have four
kids and they never leave the house. Lot of garbage, that talk about teenagers always being on the go. All mine want to d
o is play video games and
eat pizza."
"I know just what you mean."
"All the same," the deputy said wryly, "this really isn't..."
"The best place. I get the idea." Todd grinned again. "Okay. We'll go home."
"Rent them a movie," he suggested. "Works for my brood. You put on one of those new thrillers and they won't even know if you're still
in the house."
"That's the best idea yet. Thanks!"
He smiled. "My wife and I have been married twenty-six years," he said with a chuckle. "You wouldn't believe some of the diversions we've
come up with to keep them busy. Have a nice evening." He touched the brim of his hat and went back to his car.
"You let him think we were married," she accused gently.
"Why not, when we will be by the end of the week," he said warmly. "I can't wait."
She slid her hand into his when he cranked the car and started to reverse it. "Neither can I."
They were married a few days later, with Tim and Meg as witnesses and Cherry as maid of honor. It was a quiet ceremony in Jacobsville, with
no one except the four of them. Afterward, they all went out to eat at Jacobsville's best restaurant and then Todd and Jane flew down to
Jamaica for a very brief honeymoon before school started.
Despite their need for each other, they'd been very circumspect until the vows were spoken. But no sooner were they installed in their room
overlooking the bay in their luxurious Montego Bay hotel suite when Todd picked her up and tossed her onto the king-size bed, following her
down before she had time to get her breath.
"Oh, but we really should...go and look...at the ocean," she teased as he brushed lazy, sensuous kisses on her parted lips.
"Indeed we should." His lean hand smoothed down her
body, kindling sharp desires, awakening nerves. She gasped and shivered when he trespassed under the thin elastic of her briefs. "Do you want to
go now?" he whispered into her mouth as his hand moved exploringly.
She moaned.
He laughed softly, moving his mouth to the soft curve of her breasts under the scoop-neck knit top. "That's what I thought."
In no time at all, they were both nude, twisting against each other in a fever of deprived need. He urgently drew her into the taut curve of his
body, but even then he was tender, fitting her to him in a silence punctuated with the soft gasps of pleasure that he drew from her mouth with
each glorious lunge of his body as it worked its way hungrily into hers.
He nibbled at her mouth while his hand, curved over her upper thigh, drew her insistently to meet the rhythm of his powerful body.
He lifted his head to watch her reactions from time to time, and despite the glitter of his eyes and the sharp drag of his breathing, he seemed
totally in control. On the other hand, she was sobbing and shivering, clinging desperately to him as the sensations, which were still so new to
her, flung her body to and fro against his in waves of hot pleasure.
She arched into him violently, and his hand contracted. "Gently," he whispered. "We have to be careful of your back."
"Gen...tly?" she groaned. "Oh, Todd...I'm...dying!" She pushed against him again, following the trail of the pleasure that had grasped her
so viciously just seconds before.
"Here, then." He guided her, watching until he saw her response quicken. He smiled through his own tension as he gave her the ecstasy she
pleaded for. Her eyes widened and went black with shock as she stiffened and then convulsed under his delighted gaze.
She felt the tears slide from her eyes as oblivion carried
her to heights she'd never dreamed of scaling. And then, just when she was returning to her body, she saw him laugh and then groan as he pushed
against her and shuddered with his own satisfaction.
He fell heavily against her, his heartbeat shaking him, and rolled to his side with her clasped against him. One long leg wrapped around her,
drawing her even closer while he worked to breathe.
"If it keeps getting better," she whispered into his throat, "I think it may kill the."
He chuckled. "Both of us."
"You laughed," she accused softly.
He lifted his damp head and looked into her eyes, smiling. "Oh, yes." He traced her mouth. "With shock and pleasure and the glory of loving
and being loved while I made love. I've never felt so complete before."
She smiled shyly. "Neither have I. Even though it was good the first time."
He kissed her softly. "We'll have years and years of this, and children, and challenges to keep us fit. And I'll love you until I die," he added
fervently.
She pressed closer. "I'll love you just as long!" She closed her eyes. "Even longer."
He made a contented sound and bent to kiss her soft mouth. But very quickly the tenderness grew stormy and hungry, and she rolled into his
arms again, as hungry as he.
Later, lying in Todd's arms as the morning sun silvered the bed, she thought that she'd never been happier or more fulfilled in her whole
life. Or more weary.
"Exhausted already?" he exclaimed when she shifted in his arms and groaned as her sore muscles protested. "I'll have to feed you more
oysters!"
"I'll feed you to the oysters if you don't let the sleep," she teased, nuzzling closer. "I know we agreed that it would
be nice to start our family right away, but I'll die of fatigue before we get to the first one at this rate!"
He chuckled and kissed her forehead softly. "We'll sleep a bit longer, then. Happy?" he murmured drowsily.
"Happier than I ever dreamed I could be."
"And your back...is it all right?"
"It's fine. Actually, I think this is therapeutic for it."
"All the more reason to exercise it twice a day."
She kissed his bare shoulder. "Later. I've had no sleep in two days. I kept thinking that your ex-wife would find some way to sabotage the
ceremony."
"That wasn't likely," he said with a weary grin. "Cherry had made several threats. I think she's going to be a very formidable surgeon when
she gets out of medical school. Anyone who can buffalo Marie shouldn't have any trouble with hospital staff."
Jane smiled. "She and her mother do get along better now, at least."
"Oh, Marie learned her lesson the hard way. If she isn't nice to you, she'll lose her daughter. That's the one thing that made her apologize
to you, and it's kept her pleasant." He stretched lazily. "She even offered to redecorate the ranch house for you free after she has the baby."
"I'll think about that."
"I had a feeling that's what you'd say. She means well."
"I know. I love you."
He smiled. "I love you."
He drew her close and pulled the sheet up over them. In the distance, the crash of the surf was like a watery serenade. Jane closed her eyes
and turned her face into Todd's chest. And her dreams were sweet.