Baker's Bargain (Culpepper Cowboys Book 5)

by Kirsten Osbourne

  They got into his truck and he drove them the twenty minutes into town. “I really am nervous,” she said as they saw the buildings that indicated they were almost to the diner. “What if they hate me?”

  “Well, they already practically know you from all you say to them on Twitter, right?”

  “Almost.” She’d wanted to meet up with other LLers before, because they sometimes met to watch the current episodes, but her parents had never allowed it, so she’d never met anyone from online. “You know they say you can never really know someone just from meeting them online.”

  He shrugged. “I don’t know if that’s true. I think you can get to know someone really well without the trappings of real life being in the way. Of course, some people do misrepresent themselves online.”

  “I know.” She took a deep breath. “I don’t know what they’d get out of it though. I’m still not sure why they’re in town, but I’m so excited to get to actually meet them.”

  Marcus parked the car and led her into the diner. She had never been there, and she looked around. “Do we seat ourselves?”

  He nodded. “Why don’t we grab that booth in the corner?”

  She followed him to it, waiting until he slid in and then she sat beside him. “I always think couples look stupid when they sit on the same side of a booth with no one across from them. Like they’re so intent on looking like they’re in love they can’t get out of each other’s pockets for even a minute.”

  He grinned at her assessment. “I think you may be right. There’s a reason this time, though, so even if we look stupid, we’ll have to live through it.”

  Grace had taken the side of the booth where she could see people come and go from the diner. When the door opened, and the bell over it tinkled, she saw Valerie and Jesse Savoy walk in. “That’s them,” she hissed at Marcus.

  “Well, get up and introduce yourself then. You’ll have an easier time recognizing them than they will recognizing you.”

  Grace took a deep breath and stood, walking over to the couple. “Hi, I’m Grace.” She wanted to hug the other woman, but she had no idea how Valerie would feel about it.

  Valerie’s face transformed into a grin, and she reached out to hug Grace. “It’s so nice to meet you.”

  Grace smiled shyly. “It’s good to meet you too. Come over and meet my husband.”

  “You said you got married yesterday? That’s wonderful.” Valerie followed her over, and she waited as Jesse slid into the booth.

  Grace found herself mesmerized by the couple she’d seen so often onscreen. “You guys have just as much chemistry in real life.”

  Valerie laughed. “We do.” She looked at Marcus. “Do you watch our show as well?”

  He nodded. “Grace has just introduced me to it. We’ve watched the first half of the first season now. I just saw the episode where you kiss for the first time. You two are something else.”

  Jesse grinned. “I’ll never forget filming that.” He got a faraway look on his face, and Valerie elbowed him.

  “Stop. They don’t need to hear about that.” Valerie focused her attention on Grace. “I had to come after I saw your picture of the sunset and the mountains. We got in yesterday. This is such a beautiful place.”

  “How long are you here for?”

  Valerie sighed. “We fly out tonight at ten. We’ll have to sleep the whole way back to Texas, so we can film in the morning.” She rubbed the back of her neck, looking tired.

  “How are you feeling?”

  Valerie grinned, her hand reaching out to take Jesse’s. “I’m good. Morning sickness is giving me fits, and sometimes I feel like the only thing keeping me put together are the clothes on my back. Baby’s growing and getting healthy, though, so I can’t complain. Well, I could, but I won’t.”

  Grace smiled at that. “I’m glad you decided to meet me while you were here. I was so excited to get your tweet. I wasn’t sure if I should, but Marcus was all for it.”

  “Why weren’t you sure?”

  “Well, we only have one full day off together before we go back to work. So we married last night, and today is it.”

  “Oh! I knew you married yesterday, but I guess I just assumed you’d take a week off or something.” Valerie frowned.

  “Like you did, right?” Grace asked, knowing the story of the other couple’s marriage on a Friday night and going back to work on Monday morning.

  “Oh, yeah, just like us.” Valerie laughed. “We’re looking for a new house. We don’t want to raise a child in California. We like the area of Texas we’re in, but we don’t want to be there all the time. So when we saw your sunset picture, we came to see the town you mentioned.”

  “Really? Did you find a place you like?”

  Valerie nodded, her eyes bright. “We found this little ranch we want to buy. We don’t really want it to be a ranch, but we’ll find a buyer for the cattle. They seem to come with it. The amount of land is just perfect for us to have the privacy we need, but also good for raising a child.”

  “Whose ranch are you buying?” Marcus asked. He’d been careful to keep quiet, so Grace could enjoy them, but he had to speak up then.

  “Some guy named Jones? I don’t know,” Jesse answered. “You know him?”

  “I do! I’ve been eyeing his herd.” Marcus thought for a moment. “I’m a lawyer, but I’ve taken over my dad’s ranch. I’m not really part of the day to day operations, but I’m involved in the big decisions. If you don’t want those cattle, we can work something out.”

  Jesse smiled over at Valerie. “Seems like someone wants us to move here.”

  “Other than me, you mean?” Grace asked.

  Valerie smiled at her. “Jesse wasn’t all for us meeting like this, but I told him we’d been following each other on Twitter for years. He finally seemed to understand then.”

  Jesse shrugged, looking at Marcus. “I don’t know that I’ll ever really trust anyone with my wife, but since she said I could come…”

  Marcus nodded emphatically. “I feel like it’s my job to take care of Grace.”

  Grace rolled her eyes at Valerie. “Now I want to ditch them and go get our own table. Being petite and female does not equal being weak.”

  Valerie laughed. “That’s always been my favorite thing about you on Twitter. I love your sense of humor.”

  “Thanks.” Grace reached down for a small basket she’d brought with her. “You’re going to like me better for this.” She set the basket on the table between them.

  A waitress stopped at the table then, before Valerie could lift the cloth napkin covering the basket to look. “What’ll ya have?”

  “Just coffee for me,” Grace said.

  Marcus smiled. “Hi, Tabitha. How’re the kids?”

  The waitress smiled at Marcus. “Exhausting! Is this the new wife I heard about?”

  Marcus nodded. “Grace, this is Tabitha. She and Karlan were in the same grade in school. Tabitha, my wife, Grace.” He had to stifle the prideful grin that toyed at his lips when he introduced her as his wife.

  “So nice to meet you.” Tabitha looked back at Marcus, a smile on her face now. “What do you want?”

  “Get me a Coke and the fried cheese sticks. I feel like coating my arteries good today.”

  Tabitha turned to Valerie next. For a moment, she had a blank stare, and then her eyes widened. “You’re Valerie Dobson!” Her eyes flicked back and forth between Jesse and Valerie.

  Valerie smiled. “It’s Valerie Savoy now, but yes.” Valerie reached down to grab her purse, pulling something from it. “I’d like a glass of water and a salad.”

  “Yes, ma’am. No problem, ma’am.” Tabitha’s eyes went to Jesse. “And you?”

  Jesse pointed at Marcus. “I’ll have what he’s having.”

  As soon as she’d gone, Valerie quickly signed the picture she had taken from her purse before handing it to Jesse. After he’d scrawled his name, she put it on the edge of the table.

  Then she
lifted the napkin from the basket to see the fresh muffins and cinnamon rolls. “Oh, those look delicious.”

  “I opened a bakery with two of my cousins this week. We make those, so when you move to town, you need to make sure to come by often.”

  “We will.” Valerie handed Jesse the basket, and he set it on a ledge beside the booth. “We brought you something too.”

  Grace smiled. “Really?”

  Valerie nodded. “I have a full cast poster for you, and I had everyone sign it.”

  “Oh, wow! Thank you!” Grace was more than a little impressed the actress had thought to bring her something. “That’s the perfect gift for me!”

  “It’s in the car, but I’ll give it to you when we go.”

  “I’m excited!”

  Marcus looked at Jesse. “I guess I’m going to sleep with you looking down at me now.”

  Jesse laughed. “Fans are fickle creatures. It’ll be gone in a month.”

  Grace frowned at Jesse. “It will not! I’ve followed the show since the second season.”

  “Not the first?” Jesse asked, a bit surprised by that.

  Grace shook her head. “We didn’t have a television at home, so I found it through Netflix. I always buy the current season on Amazon, but I have to watch it the next morning.”

  “Now you can watch it as it comes on,” Marcus reminded her.

  “Just another reason I’m glad we’re married,” Grace said with a grin.

  Tabitha came back to the table with drinks and thanked Valerie over and over for the autographs. “My husband’s never going to believe I actually met you two.”

  “You have proof now,” Valerie said, nodding at her hands.

  After Tabitha hurried away, Jesse looked at Grace. “We’ll move here on our next week off, which is in two weeks. We’ll have to have dinner then.”

  Valerie smiled at Grace. “That means he approves of me talking to you, and we can hang out.”

  “I’d love that! Why don’t y’all plan to come to our house for dinner when you come back? I’d love to cook for you.” Grace made the offer and then hoped she could talk Ethel into giving up her kitchen for one night.

  “Just so you’re a better cook than Jo.” Valerie winked at Grace. Her character, Jo, was known for trying to cook and filling the entire house with smoke.

  Grace laughed, rolling her eyes. “Anyone is a better cook than Jo.”

  After dinner that night, Grace curled into Marcus’s side on the couch. “Thank you so much for being so kind about today. You didn’t have to let me meet them.”

  “It was worth it to me to see you so happy.” He stroked his hand up and down her arm.

  She smiled. “You’re a good husband.”

  “I try to be.” He turned to kiss her, his tongue stroking out to touch hers.

  When she wrapped her arms around his neck and responded, he pulled her onto his lap, astride him. She pulled away, blushing. “We can’t kiss like this down here.”

  He frowned. “Why not?”

  “Because we can only do that in bed.” How could he not realize that?

  “Grace, we’re married. We can make love in the living room of our own home if we want to. I wouldn’t want to if Ethel were here, but she won’t be in until morning, so we can do it here now if we want to.” He pulled her back down for a kiss.

  She pulled away from him in shock. “But the lights are on.”

  He shook his head. “It’s okay for me to see you naked, you know.”

  She blushed. “You did last night, and my mother would have a fit if she knew.”

  “I guess I didn’t make it clear last night, but your parents are not allowed to be part of our love life. You have my permission to forget they exist every time I start kissing you.”

  “I’m not sure that’s possible.” She frowned, closing her eyes. “I feel so guilty every time we touch. Kissing doesn’t seem to bother me, but when you touch me in other places, or when I sit on you like this, I just feel terribly wicked.”

  He sighed. “Well, we’re going to be wicked, I’m afraid.” He brought her lips back to his, kissing her passionately. “If you are that worried about doing this out of bed, let’s go upstairs.”

  She nodded, getting off his lap and climbing the stairs to their bedroom.

  He closed the door, and for her benefit shut off the light, before he stripped off his clothes and made short work of hers.

  He lowered her onto the bed, taking a condom from the nightstand and laying it beside them, so he wouldn’t have to reach too far for it later. His hands and lips were all over her, stroking her to a fever pitch.

  This time he pulled her astride him, sitting with his back to the headboard, stroking her continuously as he taught her how to move in a way that would bring them both pleasure.

  He had a trickle of sweat running down his cheek when he felt her clench around him. He groaned, moving swiftly to finish himself, clutching her to him.

  He rained kisses on her face, thrilled that she’d finished that time. He hadn’t been sure he’d be able to make that happen with her hang-ups.

  Grace lay against him, eyes closed, wanting to scream at the emotional pain. She wasn’t supposed to enjoy sex. It was wrong.

  After a minute, she kissed his cheek. “I’m going to go shower.” And throw up.

  He sighed as he watched her go, hating that she thought such a beautiful experience required an immediate shower afterward. He sat there for a moment, hating himself for making love with his beautiful bride.

  He heard the shower start, and then he heard loud sobs coming from the bathroom. He debated for a moment whether he should go to her or just pretend he didn’t know. In the end, he knew he had to help her if there was any way he could.

  He went into the bathroom and climbed into the shower with her, pulling her into his arms. He didn’t mention her tears, and he didn’t allow her to pull away. He just held her while she sobbed hysterically.

  Finally, when the water started to turn cold, he shut off the stream and stepped out of the tub, wrapping her in the towel she’d set out. He carefully dried her off as if she was a child, brushing out her long hair and blow-drying it for her.

  When they got back into bed, he stroked her back, feeling her exhaustion. When she slept, she made little hiccupping sounds, as if she was still fighting the tears.

  Marcus hated that he’d made her feel that way. He loved her so much. There was a big decision he needed to make, and he needed to make it soon. He’d either have to stop making love with her or find some way for her to get beyond the emotions that her upbringing was causing her.

  He couldn’t let her keep beating herself up over it. There had to be a solution.

  While Grace was at the doctor the following day, he went home and talked to Ethel. “I need you to do something for me.”

  Ethel seemed to ignore him for a moment as she continued to clean the kitchen. “You already unhappy with your new bride?”

  He shook his head. “No, I love her.” He sighed. “Her parents managed to convince her that lovemaking is wicked. She thinks if she enjoys it at all she’s going to hell or something ridiculous like that. Can you talk to her?”

  Ethel raised an eyebrow at him. “What makes you think I’m the one to talk to her?”

  He frowned. “You had eight children, and you were a pastor’s wife. Surely you’ve had sex once or twice.” He hated talking to his grandmother’s friend about this, but it was easier than talking to his grandmother herself. He’d do that next if it became necessary.

  “At least twice. And you know what?” she asked, her voice a whisper.

  He didn’t want to know what. He really didn’t. He knew he was about to find out though. “What?”

  “I liked it. A lot.”

  “I don’t want to know that!”

  Ethel cackled loudly. “Yeah, I’ll talk to your little princess. When I’m done with her, she’ll think it’s wrong not to enjoy it.”

  Marcus sh
ook his head. “Just help her, please.”

  “No problem!”

  10

  When Grace got home from the doctor, she wandered into the kitchen to grab a snack. She hadn’t spent much time exploring the contents of the kitchen yet. She had seen a car parked outside that she thought probably belonged to Ethel. It had been there when she’d met her previously.

  As she dug through the refrigerator, she heard a sniff. “Don’t move things around in there. You live here now, but the kitchen is still my territory.”

  Grace straightened up and smiled at Ethel. “I understand, and I’ll do my best. I cooked a couple of meals over the weekend, and I even left the dishes for you.”

  Ethel grinned. “Was that hard for you?”

  “It was awful. I felt like I was betraying my mother and God, and I was going to go straight to hell!” Grace was exaggerating, but only a little. Every little sin was hell-worthy to her parents.

  “Sounds like you had an interesting upbringing. I can only imagine what they told you about married life.” Ethel shook her head. “I was a minister’s wife for fifty years. I have counseled women who came from very strict households. Do you realize some even thought that enjoying sex with their husbands is wrong?”

  Grace blinked a couple of times. “They do?”

  “Not anymore they don’t. I set them real straight on that.” Ethel got herself a glass of water and leaned against the counter. “I had eight kids, and trust me, I enjoyed conceiving every single one of them.”

  Grace smiled, feeling uncomfortable, but knowing this woman might be able to help her. “And you didn’t feel like it was wrong?” If a pastor’s wife didn’t think it was wrong, maybe it wasn’t. She hoped she could get past this somehow.

  “Why would something that God created, that feels so dang good, be wrong? Really, some of those women had mothers who told them to lie back and plan their grocery lists. Just makes me sick to my stomach to think some women try to brainwash their daughters that way.”

  Grace bit her lip, not wanting to admit how she felt, but deciding this woman would be safe. She had to talk to someone about it. “Can you keep something confidential?”