High Country Christmas

by Joanna Sims

  Silently, they both swam to the embankment that had been cleared for sunbathing. Half in the water, half out, Tyler slipped between her legs and slipped his shaft into her body. Slow and hard, slow and hard, Tyler took command of her. She dropped her head back, eyes closed, overwhelmed by the sensations of pleasure Tyler was creating with his hands and his mouth and the thick shaft that filled her so completely.

  Tyler loved his goddess with his entire body until he felt the sweet sensation of her orgasm. She didn’t make a sound, but she dug her fingernails into his back and pushed against him with her hips. She was coming all around him, pulsing and writhing, inviting him to join her. Tyler sank deep within her body, head down, and groaned. The cool water swirled around their naked bodies while they caught their breath.

  “Tyler...?”

  “Hmm?”

  “I don’t want to ruin this otherwise superromantic moment...but I have mud in places where there shouldn’t be mud...”

  Tyler opened his eyes and looked down at her. “I can honestly say that I’ve never heard that one before.”

  They grabbed their clothing from the dock and ran, naked, into the cabin. Straight to the shower, they rinsed off under the warm water together and then got into Tyler’s bed.

  “It seems that you have returned to the scene of the crime.” He propped himself up on his side to look at her.

  “So it seems.” She twisted her wet hair into a knot on top of her head.

  “Regrets?”

  “About tonight?” She sank back into the pillows. “I don’t think so.”

  He glanced up at her with an odd look on his face. “No need to boost my ego.”

  She smiled at him. “You know what I mean.”

  “I’m teasing...” He threaded his fingers with hers and kissed the back of her hand. “Tell me about your son.”

  It was an unexpected shift in conversation. “Now who’s not being romantic?”

  “I’m serious.” He adjusted his body so he was sitting next to her, his back against the headboard. “Tell me about him.”

  “Do you want the long version or the short version?”

  “I want whatever version you’re willing to tell me,” Tyler said seriously. “We have all night.”

  “I call him my love child.” She glanced at him. “His father was my high school sweetheart...”

  “First love?”

  She nodded. “First everything. We both earned full-ride scholarships for basketball to the same university. My dad was so proud of me...” Her voice trailed off as if she were drifting away to another place. “But...then I got pregnant during my freshman year, lost my scholarship...and I gained my son.”

  “What about J.T.’s father?”

  “Jon offered to give up his scholarship, but I wouldn’t let him.” She shrugged her shoulders. “He was so good. He had a real shot at the pros... I couldn’t see any reason for both of us to give up our dreams.

  “We stayed together for three years after J.T. was born. When he didn’t get drafted by the NBA, he went to Canada to play ball, and...I don’t know...after a while, we just didn’t make sense anymore. Jon’s a good father to J.T. and we’re...cordial whenever we have to deal with each other. That’s about it.”

  Tyler put his arms around her, hugged her and kissed her on the head affectionately. “Thank you.”

  “For what?”

  “For sharing that with me.” Tyler kept his arm around her and closed his eyes. “How old is J.T.?”

  “Almost thirteen.” London’s eyes drooped closed. It was comfortable here in Tyler’s arms. His body was solid and warm; he was a man a woman could learn to lean on.

  “I have to get up,” she murmured.

  “Negative.”

  London forced herself to open her eyes and slide out of Tyler’s embrace. She rolled out of bed so she could start getting dressed. She wasn’t about to get caught doing a walk of shame from Tyler’s cabin to the main house. Hank was an old-fashioned man who did not approve of her situation with his son. And for some reason, she wanted him to approve of her. Daddy issues, apparently.

  “I’m keeping the T-shirt, FYI.” London zipped her jeans. “Hey...are you going to walk me back, or what?”

  Tyler hadn’t moved. He was watching her through heavily lidded eyes. “I vote that you stay.”

  She pushed on his leg. “Come on. Get up.”

  With a disgruntled sigh, Tyler got up and got dressed.

  “I think that you should move into my place tomorrow. We’re adults. We shouldn’t be sneaking around in the middle of the night like we’re breaking curfew.”

  London had no intention of moving in with Tyler when his parents disapproved. They were the grandparents of her unborn child and their opinion mattered.

  “Good night,” London whispered.

  Tyler caught her hand and stopped her from stepping up to the next step.

  “Hey...tell me that you love me.”

  In the moonlight, Tyler could see the perplexed expression on her pretty face.

  “Why would I say that to you?”

  “Because it’s true.”

  “Good night, Tyler...”

  More loudly, he repeated himself. “Tell me that you love me, London.”

  “Shh...”

  “Tell me...”

  “Fine... I love you.” She reclaimed her hand. “Good night.”

  * * *

  The same day she officially withdrew from the fall semester was the same day she told her son that she was coming home for a visit. The happiness she heard in J.T.’s voice when she told him was a gift. And she couldn’t wait to see him. To hug him. If only there wasn’t a black cloud hanging over the entire trip.

  “What about your classes?” J.T. asked her. He was such a smart kid.

  “Let me worry about that,” she hedged.

  “I’ll get Gram to pick us up one of those apartment guides from the grocery store.”

  London laughed. “I’m not going to be home long enough for that, J.T.”

  “I’ll still ask her to get one just in case.”

  All J.T. had wanted for years was for them to have a place of their own. He loved his Gram and Pop, but she couldn’t blame him for wanting to get out of their basement. Truth be told, she had sold him on the idea of Montana with the promise of it leading to a better job and a two-bedroom apartment just for them.

  “I want to hear more about you.” London changed the subject. “How’s school?”

  Now that she had an official date to face her family, she felt more relaxed. It was too hard to live with a secret. She was scared and excited all at once. Good, bad or indifferent, she would be heading home soon.

  * * *

  One of the best things about not leaving Bent Tree Ranch to finish her last semester was spending time with Rising Sun. Even though she still had a milder case of all-day sickness, she had forced herself to eat through the nausea and stay active. Being out in the barn and working with the handsome new colt kept her mind occupied and made her feel happy when she was having a sad day like today.

  “Hey...”

  London jumped at the sound of Tyler’s voice. She had been lost in thought and hadn’t realized that she wasn’t alone anymore.

  “Hi.” She resumed the task of untangling Rising Star’s long, thick mane.

  Tyler noticed that she was wearing his Johnny Cash T-shirt and it made him feel good. It made him think that she wanted to be close to him even when he wasn’t around.

  “Mom told me that you withdrew from the semester today.”

  “It needed to be done.” She had been putting it off and putting it off until the very last minute. It was hard to let go of something she had been working toward for so long. “I can be out fo
r two semesters without reapplying.”

  He watched her methodically combing Star’s mane. “Are you almost done with your day?”

  “I’m done. I’m just diddling around now.”

  Tyler opened the latch to the stall gate. “Then I think you’d better come with me.”

  She followed Tyler out of the barn and noticed that there was an old-fashioned horse carriage rigged up in the common yard. London was immediately drawn to it.

  “Where in the world did this come from?” She ran her hands over one of the four wooden-spoke wheels.

  “My father is always looking for ways to surprise Mom on their anniversary. One year, he had this ladies’ phaeton restored for her.”

  The phaeton had a tufted red velvet bench seat built for two and a black buggy top to protect occupants from the elements.

  “It’s so beautiful.” London smiled.

  “Climb on up,” Tyler told her. “I’m taking you for a ride.”

  London spun her head around to look at him. “This is for me?”

  Tyler looked directly into her eyes. “It’s hard to be sad in a phaeton.”

  She climbed into the bench seat and Tyler joined her. He picked up the reins, released the brake, clucked his tongue, and the buggy lurched forward. The minute she felt the buggy move, London laughed. Tyler smiled at her. She knew that getting her to laugh and smile was why he had planned this buggy ride in the first place. Tyler steered the horses onto the main road so they could avoid some of the potholes characteristic of the less traveled roads on the ranch.

  London held on to the edge of the seat, the wind in her face, smiling. The ride was bumpy, which wasn’t the best for her sensitive bladder, but she didn’t care. She was having a blast and her stupid, annoying bladder would just have to wait!

  “Do you want to drive?” Tyler asked her.

  “Yes!”

  “Scoot closer to me and I’ll show you how to hold the reins.”

  Tyler halted the horses, put London’s hands on the reins and then released the brake again. From the moment the horses started to move and she could feel the leashed power of steering two horses at once, London was hooked. The idea that she was doing something that women one hundred years before her time had done to travel made her feel connected to something bigger than herself. When they reached the end of the main road, her face muscles felt a little sore from the smiling and laughing. Tyler took over the reins so he could turn the buggy around while London slumped back into the soft velvet with a wide grin on her face.

  “Thank you.” She put her hand on his arm.

  Tyler had turned the horses around. He halted the horses and put on the brake. With the sun setting in the distance, Tyler kissed her. It was a sweet, tender kiss, full of promise.

  “You’re welcome.” Tyler touched her face gently. “You’ll come to me tonight.”

  Was it a question? Was it a statement? She wasn’t sure. And she didn’t care.

  “Yes.” She linked her arm with his, leaned into his body. “I will.”

  That night, like a naughty teenager, she sneaked out of the main house and headed straight for Tyler’s cabin. When she opened the door, she saw that Tyler was waiting for her in the living room. It was chilly enough at night, even in the summer, for him to build a fire. He had a blanket laid out in front of the fire, and her stomach started to fill with nervous anticipation at the thought of making love with Tyler again.

  He greeted her with a kiss. Then he undressed her in front of that fire, as if he was unwrapping a Christmas present. Layer by layer, her clothing was removed until she was standing completely naked before him, bathed in firelight.

  Tyler was mesmerized by London’s beauty. The changes in her body from the pregnancy, camouflaged when she was clothed, were on display for his hungry eyes. Her breasts were larger now, rounder and fuller. Her waist, still long and thin, curved down to the noticeable bump. Tyler knelt down before her and splayed his hands over her belly.

  “Lie down,” he told her.

  They lay down together on the blanket. She was on her back while Tyler was on his side facing her. He rested his hand on her baby bump.

  “What can I do for you?”

  It was a lover’s question. He wanted to serve her, but was she brave enough to ask for what she really needed?

  “My breasts are so sore,” she admitted. “They hurt all the time now.”

  “What can I do?”

  “Massage them.”

  He told her to close her eyes, relax and let him make her feel better. He filled his hands with her swollen, aching breasts and began to massage them. She moaned and turned her head toward the fire. His large hands were strong from years of ranch work. The harder he squeezed, the better she liked it. It was releasing the pain, releasing the ache.

  When he heard her sigh happily and smile, he replaced his hands with his mouth. He kissed her neck and her breasts before he dropped several kisses on the baby bump on his way to his final destination. He nudged open her thighs with his hand so he could taste her. It felt so good, so right, that she cried out from the pleasure of it. He worshipped her with his mouth until she reached for him.

  They made love in front of the fire. But it wasn’t enough for London. The pregnancy hormones had made her crazy horny. She wanted it all the time. They moved to the bedroom and when Tyler was able, they made love again.

  “Tell me what you want.” Tyler was on top of her, inside her.

  “I want it as hard as you can give it to me.”

  Tyler grabbed the headboard for leverage so he could give her exactly what she asked him for. He drove into her again and again until he felt her start to climax. London bit Tyler’s shoulder to stop herself from screaming so loudly that they could hear her in the main house. When it was over, they looked at each other and started to laugh.

  “That was...” Tyler rolled onto his back. “I don’t know what that was...”

  Naked, completely satiated, London shook her head in wonder and smiled a small smile. There weren’t any words for what they had just experienced together. It had been so off-the-charts amazing it felt otherworldly.

  They both closed their eyes to catch their breath. In the quiet, now that she was still, she noticed something strange happening. Tiny little contractions. Alarmed, London sat up and put her hand on her baby bump.

  “What’s wrong?” Tyler propped himself up on his elbow.

  “I don’t know... I feel something...like little contractions near my cervix.”

  Tyler sat up completely, his eyes focused on her stomach. “Were we too rough?”

  “Maybe. I don’t know,” she said, her hand still on her stomach. “I didn’t have sex the last time I was pregnant.”

  “What should we do?” Tyler’s voice was tight and tense.

  “I don’t know.” London felt a swell of tears start to form.

  “Here...just lie down.” Tyler stacked the pillows behind her. “If they don’t subside, we’ll go to the hospital.”

  London lay back on the pillows and Tyler covered her with the blanket. She closed her eyes and started to pray that the baby would be okay. She had been so angry that she was pregnant. She had been so frustrated that she had to change her plans because of the baby that she had detached herself from the life growing within her. Until now. Until this moment. She wanted this baby. No matter what changes she had to make, no matter how challenging, for the first time since she’d discovered that she was pregnant, she genuinely wanted Tyler’s child.

  They sat together, Tyler by her side, for a tense fifteen minutes until the sensation stopped. London closed her eyes gratefully and thanked God. Her prayers were answered. She felt more connected to her baby. She felt more connected to Tyler.

  “I wouldn’t do anything to hurt you or our baby,”
Tyler said apologetically.

  “It’s not your fault, Tyler,” she assured him. “I think we were just a little too rough. That’s all. I feel better now.”

  “I think we need to stop fooling around until we see the doctor next week.”

  “Let’s not overreact...”

  “Nope.” Tyler shook his head emphatically. “I’m sorry, but I’m cutting you off.”

  Tyler was as good as his word. She was discovering that about him. No matter how she tried to entice him, he refused to make love to her until the doctor gave them the green light. They received positive news about the pregnancy during her routine appointment—her weight was on target, her morning sickness was under control and they were given the green light to have gentle intercourse. After the doctor, they went next door for another ultrasound.

  “And here’s your baby...” The technician moved the wand across London’s abdomen.

  Tyler leaned forward, his eyes fixed on the monitor. This ultrasound image was so much different than the last. The image of the baby on the screen...his baby...stunned him. The last time they had an ultrasound, the baby had been just a small black dot with a heartbeat. Now, it looked like a real baby.

  “There’s the face and the eyes and the nose...” The technician pointed out the features as they became visible. “We’ve caught the baby sucking its thumb.”

  “Can you tell yet?” London asked.

  “Not yet...” The technician knew she was referring to gender. “The legs are in the wrong position. Next time.”

  After the appointment, they went shopping for jeans that could see London through the next couple months. They stopped by the baby section, and then at Tyler’s insistence, they stopped by the jewelry counter.

  “What do you like?” Tyler asked her. “I never see you wearing jewelry.”