by Fifi Flowers
“Oh that sounds like something out of a movie, set in the dark ages or a movie of the week. Please don’t tell me they still live in the same house.”
“They do, it’s a horrible household. After the baby thing they kept out of each other’s separate affairs. I don’t know if they have special friends or not. I know they moved to separate bedrooms and my father had a vasectomy.”
“You said you went home for a family event before we met?”
“Yes, I saw the phony couple at a family gathering. I stayed with Spencer, the black sheep of the whole family. A title he received when he and Valerie split up. My parents tried to talk them out of getting a divorce. My brother had it out with them. He told them he would not live like them, and how fucked up they were. What they had was sick and that he was starting to live similarly with his wife without the abuse part. He said it was no way to live and without their blessing he was the first Donovan of the Bay area to get divorced.”
“Good for him, no one should be subject to abuse or unhappiness. Life is hard enough and too short.”
“I’m thankful that farm girl broke up with me when she did, even as hurtful as it was. I’m not against divorce, but I would prefer to marry once and for love. My parents were not married because they were madly in love, their union was practical. They made sense, both were from good families, equally matched. Spencer did love Valerie and she did love him, but they grew up and apart.”
“Sounds like you and I both have parents that had… have relationships that aren’t conventional.”
“Your parents loved each other, I witnessed it. I always wished that I was part of their family not the craziness I was raised with. Hank was nothing, but respectful to Ginnylee… Jinxie. I’m not saying I didn’t see them argue, but it was mild and as far as I saw about trivial things, they always made up. Never did he raise his hand to her, ever.”
“I’m sorry you had to grow up seeing that, I can’t imagine. Tex and Bonnie were the closest I got to seeing married parents. They got along and if… when they fought, I never knew about it. By the way, Jinxie told me that Hank loved you like family, even she did. She has been telling me about her life on the ranch, you were included in several stories.”
“The feeling is mutual toward them. With them gone it was different, but I still had Norma and Clay. But now it’s missing key people… a key person all over again. It needs you, I need you, Jade.” Turning in my arms, she reached up with her hands and stroked the sides of my face. “I love you so much, Jade.”
“I’ve missed you and the ranch, I’m ready to go home.” Wrapping my arms around her, I hugged her tighter as she told me words that I could hear over and over again happily, “I love you too, Sage.” Just as I was about to attack her mouth again, voices called out to us.
“What is going on over here?” I recognized Ginnylee’s voice.
Then I heard a tsk from the famous Bonnie Lane, “You both look so serious.”
“She’s right,” boomed Tex Cassidy. “Come on, let’s catch some waves then get our grill on,” he laughed then looked at me like he was assessing me. “Then you and I can have a little man to man chat before you take our Jade home.” I was okay with that, I understood. Then he winked and my new extended family roared with laughter.
Standing and pulling Jade up alongside of me, I reached out to shake Tex and Bonnie’s hands and hug Ginnylee… Jinxie. I smiled, with a bit of apprehension, at all three of them standing, wearing wetsuits, holding surfboards under their arms and waiting for us. I wasn’t feeling good about Jade out in the dangerous waves. “Maybe we’ll just watch from the shore,” I said thinking about my little one’s safety too.
“Nonsense. With those two on the way, this is probably her last time to ride the surf. That is until they’re ready to join the surf team,” Ginnylee had her daughter in the waves early, I imagined she’d be trying to do the same with her grandchild… children?
“Cowboy or cowgirl team,” Jade corrected her mother.
“Two?” I asked looking down at her rounded belly. Then moving her directly in front of me for a better look, I gently rubbed my hands over her perfect baby bump.
“Yes, twins,” she nodded with a grin on her beautiful face.
Overcome with the news, I picked her up and spun her around then crushed my lips to hers. Let them watch! Let them arrest us! I couldn’t believe that we were having a baby, let alone two.
“Okay, you two, off the beach with that nonsense. We’ll meet you back at the house. Off you go, our Jade has a reputation to protect.” We laughed and took off as Bonnie had instructed us.
Swooping her up into my arms, I walked to my truck, kissing her along the way, careful not to drop her. In a hurry to be alone, we jumped in and she directed me to their family compound and straight into her bedroom. Getting out of wetsuits is not so easy when you’re rushing to get naked, but we managed assisting each other with unzipping, tugging and pealing the neoprene fabric from our bodies. Stripped down, I got a better view of my cowgirl’s new enhanced figure; more voluptuous, fuller breasts and a nicely rounded belly. How had she changed so much in a month’s time? It was like she just popped, or was it that I wasn’t seeing her amazing body every day that made it such a dramatic difference?
“You’re so beautiful,” I said smoothing my hands over every inch of her skin. God, how I missed everything about her. Touching didn’t seem to be enough, I needed to taste her, and my eager lips joined in my exploration. I couldn’t seem to get my fill of her. It was as if I was experiencing her all over again for the first time. A sense of newness came over me, my tongue vigorously worked its magic varying speeds and intensity, skimming lightly, teasing, and lapping from her perk nipples down to her engorged lips. Her whimpers excited me, and spurred me on. I could have eaten her all night long, but she wanted more and let me know it. Not content with reclining, she moved into attack mode.
Her hands suddenly were everywhere, stroking, grabbing, reaching, clawing at my limbs, my back, my ass. Pulling me up, my cowgirl was begging me more than she ever had. Had it been too long for her too or were these the hormones taking over, controlling her libido? I rolled her on top of me as she requested. “I wanna ride my cowboy.”
Whatever she needed to satisfy her naughty cravings, I was ready to feed her appetite. Pressing her whole body into me, she panted, pushing, rubbing, demanding a full connection. I was happy to give her what she wanted, slipping inside of her, bringing our bodies together as one powerful combination.
“Oh my God, Jade. You feel fucking amazing. Not going to last long.”
“Yes, Sage. Just like that.”
Matching each other’s thrusts and grinds, we moved like two wild mustangs, stampeding toward a perfectly harmonized release. “Never leave me, Jade,” I said breathlessly filling her.
“Never,” she echoed as her inner muscle contractions began to wane. “Take me home, Sage. I want to go home.”
“Tomorrow.” She nodded yes, collapsing on my chest.
Waking after what felt like hours, we showered leisurely, reacquainting our bodies once more, then dressed, and made our way to the main house kitchen. There, Jade and I began to prep food for the family barbecue while the other three cleaned the sand and surf off their bodies. Cutting up things she piled in front of me, my brain was working out how to tell her family that I was taking her back to the ranch to live happily ever after with me. They should all relish that news. But of course, I needed to assure them that I loved her and our babies and that I would always care and provide for them. They were my future, my life, my everything… that sounded like I was singing one of Jade’s favorite songs. Maybe I was. So many of those lyrics had gotten to me and had me thinking and feeling so many emotions on my road trip. Hell, a few had thrown a little dust in my eyes that I had to get out. Yep, some tears fell.
“What song is that? Sounds familiar.” I looked at her confused and she laughed. “You were humming, I liked it.” I smiled, dropped what I
was doing and took her in my arms and danced her around the island, humming that she was my everything until we were no longer alone, evident by the applause, whistles and hoots.
Bowing to our audience, we all got busy with our duties of putting our dinner together. The ladies did most of the stuff inside as Tex enlisted my help manning the outdoor grill. Of course that was when I got the threats. I mean I got the good ol’ man to man talking to about treating Jade right, or else. After I promised to love and cherish her for the rest of my life, we actually laughed a lot and agreed about women. The bottom line was to remember: happy wife, happy life.
After dinner and several toasts for a variety of reasons, we went back to Jade’s room and she packed up all of her stuff, again. Only this time she would only unpack once. She may return to her room sometime in the future but it would only be for a visit and nothing more. And of course, I would be with her. I couldn’t imagine her out of my sight for very long. A month apart had nearly killed me.
The next morning we loaded my truck and had breakfast with the family before hugging them all goodbye. Then we were out on the road heading for our home. After several hours, we pulled into our favorite little gas station in Flagstaff.
“Look familiar?” I asked, smirking.
Smiling back at me, she answered, “Yeah, it’s where I met a hot cowboy and you picked up a crazy woman with crayon-red hair.”
I smiled and got out of the car. Around the front of the truck I strolled to her door, my grin never faded. Opening the door, I unbuckled her seatbelt and turned her before I knelt down on one knee in front of her. “My favorite color in the box. I love that color red. I’ve loved that crazy woman since the minute I saw her. She has made my life make sense. This cowboy wants that cowgirl to be his bride. What do you say?”
“I wanna be a cowgirl, so you can be my cowboy… hell, yes.”
“Just what I wanted to hear,” I said, standing up and leaning in to capture her lips briefly before I nudged her back in her seat and belted her in before shutting her door. Gassed up, I hopped back in the cab of the truck, started her up and we rolled out onto the highway.
“Hey… wrong way, cowboy. You all shook up or something?” She pointed in the opposite direction. “You need to learn your way back to the stables like the horses.”
I shook my head and laughed, taking her hand in mine, “Your grandfather gave me the address of a certain old western chapel. I promised him that I would carry you over the threshold of our home back at the ranch as a respectable, married woman. The gas station was just a little detour. I had to ask you to marry me where I met you. Even if it was not the most romantic setting for a marriage proposal, it’s where I first saw the love of my life, my crayon-red haired cowgirl.”
“What if I said no, not that I would.” I raised her hand and brought it to my lips as she said words that were better than any country western song. “I love you, Sage.” Yep, those were the best words that ever escaped her lips, I loved them more each time.
Smiling, I gave her hand another kiss before settling it on my thigh, her fingers still entwined with mine. “I love you more, Jade.” And I believed my words, I couldn’t fathom her loving me more than I loved her. It wasn’t a competition, it was the truth.
Listening to what was our favorite Country satellite radio station—thanks to adding additional artists to our playlist—we drove to the little church where Tex and Bonnie said their own “I dos” many years ago. In Vegas, we exchanged some of our own words along with standard vows, and I slipped a square jade stone surrounded by tiny diamonds set in platinum on her left hand. She pulled it up to her face for a closer view. “I love it, it’s so unusual, beautiful.”
“It’s so you, I had it made the day you left. When I took your paintings to the frame shop. Conveniently, a jewelry store sat next door, it seemed like a sign.”
Sealing our deal with a kiss, as Mr. and Mrs. Sage Donovan we followed her grandparent’s tradition by having a fancy steak dinner in one of the casino restaurants, stayed the night, and then headed back to the ranch the next day. Though we had a wedding night, I wanted something more special for her. While she was in the shower before we set out for home, I contacted Norma to make a few arrangements.
Several hours later, we drove under the arched Bleu Moon Ranch sign, passed the lodge and straight up to the front of our forever home. Walking around the truck, I opened my wife’s door. Damn! That sounds good! I loved the smile on her face as she looked up at me and caressed my heavily stubbled chin—shaving had been the last thing on my list of my priorities.
Happy that there was still a bit of sunlight left, I guided her up onto our front porch, the same porch that I was so stupid to deny to my beautiful crayon-red haired cowgirl. “What are all of these?” she squealed, twirling around, pointing to all of the pots filled with a rainbow of Columbine flowers decorating the entire deck.
“I thought you might like to plant more all around the house. You know they will multiply and more and more will shoot up every year. I know you love them so much.”
“I love you so much!” Was it possible that my heart could withstand her words? Every time I heard them, my chest hurt, a good… great hurt, but nonetheless a real painful throbbing, heat that seemed to spread throughout my body. You couldn’t have a heart attack for loving someone too much, I prayed not. Especially as it escalated to an all-time high when she kissed me so passionately that my toes curled in my boots. Then it hit me, the anxiety of her possibly not liking her new home.
“Are you nervous, my cowboy husband?” What I was feeling must’ve been evident… “You are all flushed and perspiring right above your lip.” Buck up, buddy! I told myself silently as I took my bride up into my arms. “Oh, you’re really going to carry me over the threshold like Tex told you to?”
“Damn straight, Mrs. Donovan.” In through the door we went, Welcome to your new home, I said as I continued through the open living room to the stairs and up to our master suite, never hesitating for a minute. “You can have the full tour tomorrow, right now you need to tend to your husband’s needs.”
She laughed like hell, “Is that right, my wifely duties are already beginning?” I joined her in laughter until she saw what was over our bed and gasped. There were no more giggles. “Oh my God. My crayon drawing… you framed it.” Her voice was soft, quiet. Tears trickled down her freckled cheeks as she slipped out of my arms and moved closer to the artwork on display above our bed.
Joining her, my arms wrapped around her and rested on her perfect belly that was housing our babies lovingly. “You do beautiful work. I nearly framed a painting of our tent, but then I found this. It’s gorgeous like you. It felt so alive. It spoke to me.”
“What did it say?” she asked in a whisper.
“It said abandon your fears. This woman will fill your life with an abundance of love. You will grow old together with not a moment of regret. You will smile together, cry together. You will experience a bold and vibrant love that will never fade. It may wane from time to time with challenges, but it shall once again blossom and bloom forever.”
EPILOGUE
Jade
Five years later…
After forty years from the start of their movie careers together, the Cowboy-unga Bunch was being inducted into the Western Film Cowboy Hall of Fame. We as a couple of grownups out for the night—away from our children—attended. Seated in a plush theatre dressed in a beaded gown next to my handsome husband in a tuxedo wearing a black cowboy hat, we clapped like mad as a film montage featuring the group ended.
They had all been in several movies, but as a whole ensemble, the cowpokes had rode together in six films. The cowboy equivalent, critics said, to the popular Fast and Furious franchise. The guys—Tex Cassidy, Wes Colburn, Wyatt Cromby, Jack Evans and Jesse McGraw—all laughed at the comparison and coined themselves the Slow with True Horsepower gang. Watching the many clips, it was incredible to see the changes in their looks—less hair on their h
eads, more hair on their faces, body shapes, boys to men they remarked instead of mentioning their weight gain.
It was great to see all of them—minus Carson Crosby—sitting side by side in front of us, ribbing each other. Once the presentation had concluded and they were welcoming them up to the stage to receive commemorative statues, Tex pulled me up along with Bonnie, who had starred in all but two of their movies. I shook my head no, but Jinxie and Sage pushed me forward to go up on stage with them and accept on behalf of my father. They all said a little something while I stood looking down at the award that was placed in my hands. I felt proud and sad to be his daughter all at once. I wished he was with them, but I was happy that everyone knew what a wonderful man my dad, Carson, had been.
Hollywood learned about me and his longtime love, Jinxie—the daughter of Western royalty Tex Cassidy and Bonnie Lane—as soon as the news spread about the Crosby twins not being blood related to Carson. And their announcement that the findings were incorrect and that I was trying to steal their inheritance. A very public testing of all three of us confirmed that there had been no mistake. I was the sole biological heir to Carson Crosby’s Estate. That incited the media to swarm for an interview with Jinxie and me. Giving them what they wanted, we committed to a one time magazine spread and then asked to be left alone. Luckily, they didn’t bother us after we laid it all out on the table with Jinxie providing them with old photos of the three of us together.
Besides, we were pretty boring compared to “Hank’s two bastards,” as Sage called them, as they did not leave quietly despite the results. Before the lawyers got everything stripped from the twins—all of their rights to his estate; movie royalties and properties along with a hefty trust—they hurried to use funds that no longer belonged to them. Being a much nicer person, I agreed they wouldn’t have to return the money even though the lawyers were pushing for it. However, I did take ownership of the properties that they had purchased and could no longer maintain. With the sale of them, I came close to recouping the lost inheritance. Those monies I donated to an old actors’ facility that housed many of my grandfather’s older acquaintances, and to a cowboy museum that housed some of the Cowboy-unga Bunch’s memorabilia.