They rode in silence for a while. John made sure his horse paced Deuce’s so he could ride alongside of him. He thought about his own mating with Deuce’s cousin Jamie and tried to think what might have been different with them that would have caused the mating mark to manifest.
“When Jamie and I were talking about being mated, I told her about the vision that I had when I was fourteen and how I knew she was mine since I had seen her in that vision.” John spoke up after a few minutes of comfortable silence between the two men. “She talked about her fears, and I reassured her that our mating was meant to be. I made her understand that the things she was afraid of wouldn’t prevent us from having a happy life together. I committed to her, Deuce. I explained to her that she was my mate and I was hers. I promised her that we would have a future together and that I would always love her.”
Deuce looked at him, understanding finally dawning. “I didn’t do that, John.”
John smiled and nodded. “It might be too soon for you to do that with Gracie, Deuce.”
“You may be right,” Deuce acknowledged his words.
“My father told me that if you pledge to each other with true hearts then you are one. You’ll know when you should tell her. When she’s comfortable with your relationship, it will be easy to see that she’ll be open to that information. I think once that happens, you’ll both be gifted with the mating mark.”
Deuce nodded, agreeing with John’s words. As they made their way to the south pasture, he thought about Gracie. He knew he hadn’t told her what was in his heart, but he had shown her how much he cared about her with his touch. Now he just had to combine the two. He smiled slightly as he thought about telling and showing Gracie just how much he loved her. He would make sure there was lots of kissing, touching, and orgasms to go along with that revelation.
* * * *
Gracie helped Claire and Jamie set out the abundance of food they had prepared for lunch. It was nearly one o’clock, and she knew Deuce, John, Spence, Tim, and Jake would be coming home at any minute. All of them would be staying in after lunch to wait for the delivery of the furniture she and Deuce had ordered the day before.
The kitchen door swung open, and Spence and Tim entered, followed by Jake. His gait was measured and slow as he walked toward the table. Claire went to him immediately and stood before him patiently.
“I’m fine,” he told her, sighing with exasperation.
“I know,” she told him softly. “I could use your help, though.”
He turned to look at the table, watching as his brother and his brother’s best friend sat at the table that was already filled with all the food that had been prepared and turned back to look at her in confusion. When he saw the lines of stress around her eyes and the way she was shaking just slightly, he realized that she needed him to help her settle. He reached out and took her hand, unable to keep the smile from his face as she relaxed immediately and let out a relieved sigh.
“Thanks, Jake,” she whispered, squeezing his hand lightly.
“Anytime, angel,” he told her, pulling her into his arms and hugging her briefly before releasing her and stepping toward the kitchen table.
He sat and pulled out the chair beside him, patting the seat lightly as he looked at Claire. She walked over and sat down beside him, handing him a plate and smiling as he took it from her, winking.
The kitchen door swung open again, allowing Deuce and John to enter. John walked over to Jamie immediately and kissed her lightly, covering her slightly rounded belly and caressing it tenderly.
“Hello, cara mia,” he whispered. “How’re you feeling?”
Jamie smiled and pressed his hand firmly against her belly. “I’m very good, John.” She leaned into his embrace and kissed his neck tenderly. “Your baby is starting to move a lot,” she whispered so that only he could hear her.
John pulled back to look down at her, his expression soft. He could only nod, too overwhelmed with happiness. He kissed her forehead lightly and hugged her carefully, looking over her head to face Deuce and smiling.
“My son is strong,” he finally spoke.
Deuce smiled as he walked over to Gracie, taking her in his arms and leaning down to kiss her mouth tenderly. “Hello, Gracie Lee,” he whispered against her lips.
Gracie couldn’t stop the blush that covered her cheeks. “Hello, James,” she whispered back, hugging him lightly. “Lunch is ready. I hope you’re hungry,” she teased him.
He leaned into her shoulder and bit her neck lightly. “I’m hungry for you,” he whispered against her ear, kissing her one last time before letting her out of his arms and pulling her toward the table to sit down beside him.
“I’m going to go to my apartment to get some more of my things,” Gracie told Deuce as she handed him the large, glass bowl of potato salad. “I should be back by dinner.”
“Do you need any help, Gracie?” Jamie asked her. “I can come with you if you do.”
“No, I’m fine, thanks, Jamie,” Gracie told her, smiling. “I already know what I want to grab.” She turned to Deuce and touched his hand lightly. “You won’t need me here when they deliver the furniture, will you, Deuce? If you do, I can wait until later to go to my apartment.”
Deuce smiled and covered her hand with his own. He settled at her touch, and he could feel her calming as well. “I’d rather you go after lunch so you’re not driving at night, Gracie,” he told her honestly, knowing that he also wanted her to be away from the ranch so she wouldn’t see the canopy beds he had ordered when the delivery truck showed up. He wanted to keep that a secret until they were mated and he could show her the room he had planned for their daughters.
“Okay,” Gracie told him, smiling. “I’ll go after we finish lunch. I shouldn’t be too long.”
She released her hold on his hand, blushing as she realized that she had been touching him all along. How easy it was to be with him and touch him. As she picked up the slices of bread before her and began to make her sandwich, her heart softened a little more toward the man to her right. Everything about him called to her. She really did adore him.
* * * *
Gracie sat on the porch swing, staring out at the beautiful land before her. The McKade Ranch sat on the most incredible piece of nature she had ever seen. Being here settled something deep inside of her.
Ever since she had been a child, she had found peace and acceptance here with the most incredible people she had ever known. Mr. and Mrs. McKade had welcomed her and her sister Melanie with open arms and hearts. Within the McKade family, they had both found a safe haven from the cruelty of the world from the time they had been little girls. There wasn’t one moment when either one of them hadn’t felt as if they were truly a part of the family.
Growing up as an adopted family member, she identified with both John and Tim who had also been loved and protected by all of the McKades. She had loved every minute she had spent with the family. They always made her feel safe and cherished. And Deuce was a big part of why she felt that way. He had protected her and had watched out for her. He had been her best friend, but he had grown to be much more than that to her. Even as she had dated other men and had kept her distance from him as she watched him date other women, she had admitted to herself that her deep feelings for him had been growing. She had always thought of him as her best friend, but she had quickly identified that it was deep friendship but also much more that she felt for him. She loved him.
Thinking about the lovemaking that they had shared, she smiled sadly. She covered her belly with her hand lightly, wondering if their time together had already created a baby. Although it overwhelmed and frightened her, it also made her heart flutter with a combination of excitement, worry, and hope. She had dreams of a future with the man who made her feel complete. With him she was able to finally feel what she had always hoped to feel. Complete acceptance and caring.
Her life had truly been one of isolation. She had learned over the years never to touch anyon
e except the McKade family members, her girlfriends, children, or animals. The accusations and anger that she had received from the others that she had touched had hurt her more than the physical pain she had endured because of the touching.
It had reached a point where she had just stopped touching anyone. It was better that way. She wouldn’t hurt anyone, and no one would hurt her. But that had sentenced her to a life without feeling the intimacy that touching could give her—something that she craved. To have someone want to touch her, hold her, and caress her had been something that she had given up. And the isolation was nearly killing her.
Then Deuce came out of nowhere with his advances and his desires. She didn’t understand why there had been such a sudden change in their relationship, but she wanted the closeness with him. She wanted to belong to him, and she wanted him to belong to her.
The back door opened, and the subject of her thoughts walked out onto the porch and came to her, sitting beside her on the swing. He reached out and took her hand in his and rubbed his thumb across her knuckles.
“Are you okay, Gracie?” he asked her softly.
She nodded and squeezed his hand lightly. “I think we need to talk, Deuce.”
“Okay.”
Gracie took a cleansing breath before turning to look at him. “We haven’t been careful,” she told him finally.
“What do you mean, honey?” His forehead furrowed in confusion as he tried to understand what she was talking about.
“You and I are both old enough to know that we shouldn’t have unprotected sex,” she told him softly.
His immediate smile made her pull her hand from his in frustration.
“This is not funny, Deuce McKade,” she told him angrily. “I don’t know what either one of us was thinking.”
“We were thinking that we wanted to be intimate,” he told her calmly.
“But we should have been more careful,” she insisted. “We could have made a mistake.”
“A mistake?”
“What if I’m pregnant?”
“A pregnancy is not a mistake,” he told her, his voice deep with controlled anger. “Do you think being pregnant with my child would be a mistake?”
“No,” she answered, wiping her face with her hand in exasperation. “That’s not what I think.”
“Then what are you thinking?”
“I think having a baby should be a decision that we come to—together.” She looked at him, seeing the way he was watching her with no expression on his face. “We might have already…”
“Made a baby?” he asked her softly.
She nodded and covered her mouth as the worry she was feeling nearly made her cry. “I’m sorry.”
Deuce slid closer to her and placed his left arm around her shoulders, drawing her body tightly against his. Gracie leaned into him, turning her face into his chest and breathing in his scent, allowing it to soothe her.
“Gracie,” he whispered against the top of her head. “Don’t apologize. You have nothing to apologize for. I’m equally responsible for not being careful.” He reached out and touched her chin to tip her head up so he could look into her eyes. “But, honey, if you are pregnant, it would not be a bad thing. And it most definitely would not be a mistake.”
He lowered his right hand and covered her belly gently. Gracie looked at the way his large hand covered her stomach and tenderly caressed her. Looking back up at him, her eyes were filled with question.
“If our baby is already growing inside of you, it was meant to be. I think you’ll be a terrific mother. Just look at how you raised Melanie all by yourself. You watched out for her, you helped her grow into a great person, and you did it with honest love and caring. You can do it again with our baby.”
Gracie’s heart thudded to a resounding stop. Deuce wants me to raise our baby by myself like I did with Melanie? The thought hurt her heart. The pain she felt was instant and completely devastating.
Pulling away from him, she stood and walked to the porch railing.
“Gracie?”
She turned slowly and forced herself to smile at him. He would never know how her heart was breaking.
“What’s wrong, baby?”
“Nothing.”
Deuce was quiet for just a moment before he reached out and grabbed for her hands, tugging at them to pull her body toward him until she was standing between his open legs. His grip on her hands was firm, and he refused to let go when she tried to pull away.
“Baby, there is no way in hell I’m going to let you get away with that,” he warned her as he drew her hands behind her back and held them firmly within one of his large hands.
Gracie tried to pull free but couldn’t. The way he restrained her would have made her feel passion for him at any other time, but now she only felt anger that he expected her to respond to him when he had basically just told her that their baby was her responsibility.
He grabbed for the waistband of her jeans and pulled her closer to him, never letting go of her hands as he restrained her. “Rule number four, Gracie,” he told her calmly, his voice deep and compelling. “Never hide your thoughts or feelings from me.”
Gracie looked down at him, trying with all that she was not to fall apart. “I’m fine,” she insisted. “I’ll be fine,” she amended.
“No, you’re not fine,” he stopped her. “Are you upset by the possibility of being pregnant?” His voice was calm, but his stomach clenched at the thought that she wouldn’t want that with him.
“No.”
“Are you upset about being pregnant with my baby?”
“No.”
“Then what’s making you upset?”
Gracie tried to pull her hands free, but Deuce held them tightly within his grasp. He could feel the tension in her body, and he couldn’t understand what she could possibly be thinking that would put her in such a state of upset.
Leaning forward, he pushed up her pink blouse and kissed her exposed belly before settling his cheek against it. He felt the way Gracie tensed and knew that he had to put his heart on the line and open his feelings to her.
“Gracie, I would love it if our baby was already growing inside of you,” he whispered, kissing her belly once again. “I promise to be the best father I can be. Please don’t push me away.”
He let go of her hands and leaned back to look up at her. He would not force her to stay with him. It was, and always would be, her choice. He would step aside and let her live her life as she wanted. He had hoped she would want to live it with him.
Gracie fell to her knees before him, her eyes wide with surprise as she looked up at him. Her hands rested on his thighs, and he could feel her trembling. Seeing her on her knees before him drew powerful emotions from him. He could barely contain the rush of desire that swept through him.
“Deuce?”
“What, honey?”
“I thought you meant that you wanted me to raise the baby on my own like I had to raise Melanie,” she told him softly.
He reached up and framed her face between his hands, holding her tightly so she would look directly into his eyes. There was no way he was going to chance her misunderstanding.
“Absolutely not,” he told her angrily. “That’s my baby. I will raise him or her with you.”
He leaned forward and covered her lips with his own. He relaxed when he felt her accept his kiss and sigh softly against his mouth.
“We don’t know there’s a baby yet, Deuce,” she told him softly as she pulled back to look at him, smiling.
“Doesn’t matter,” he interrupted her. “Someday there will be.”
“Deuce, you don’t know that,” she protested.
“Oh, honey, yes I do. You can count on it,” he told her seriously. “And when it happens you’d better know that I will be an active part of your pregnancy and the raising of our child, Gracie. Don’t you forget it.”
Gracie closed her eyes as he drew her against his chest. She was afraid for the child they might br
ing into this world. She still wasn’t sure about their future, but she was sure about one very important thing. Deuce McKade was the only man she would ever love.
Chapter 9
Deuce walked into their bedroom, smiling as he saw Gracie bending down to pick up her larger suitcase that was lying flat against the tall bureau that he used as his own. Walking over to her, he took it from her and placed it on the bed.
“That bureau is for you, Gracie,” he told her, pointing to the shorter but wider mahogany bureau with the beautifully etched mirror above it.
“Did you empty some of the drawers for me?” she asked him, surprised by his thoughtfulness.
“No, honey,” he answered, chuckling. “That’s your bureau. This one is mine.”
Her brows furrowed in confusion as she looked at him, but he didn’t give her a chance to think or worry. He went to her and gathered her in his arms, leaning down to capture her lips. She melted against him immediately and wrapped her arms around his waist, softly caressing his back as she kissed him.
“I’ll miss you,” he whispered, kissing her lightly one more time.
Gracie laughed and hugged him tightly. “I’ll only be away from the ranch for a couple of hours, Deuce.”
“That’s a couple of hours too long, honey.”
She smiled as she turned and removed her folded shirts, socks, and lingerie from her suitcase and placed them into one of the completely empty bureau drawers. His consideration touched her heart. He was always looking out for her comfort and her needs. He always had, ever since she had met him when she had been a young child.
Turning, she grabbed her now empty suitcase, closing it and zipping it up before pulling it from the bed and setting it beside the bedroom door. When she turned to face him, she saw the tender expression on his face. She smiled as she walked toward him and wrapped her arms around his waist before leaning in to kiss his chin lightly.
Touching Deuce [Cowboy Mates, Psychic Connections 2] (Siren Publishing Classic) Page 10