by Lori Ryan
***
Cade watched Laura process what he’d just said and realized how much he believed what he’d said. Laura was strong. He’d been thinking she was too much like Lacey, that she’d need him to prop her up too much. But, she didn’t. In fact, it was just the opposite with Laura. He had to fight to get her to let him help, to let him support her and care for her.
Cade felt Laura lean back into him further. Was she relaxing into the possibility of staying on the ranch? It felt as though she were letting herself believe for a minute that she could stay. He hoped she was. As he held her close, he realized he had no desire to let her go any time soon.
Laura gasped as the first kitten arrived, covered in a dark sack of wet, gooey mess. “Wow, it sure isn’t pretty, is it?” she asked and laughed.
Cade laughed with her. “Nope, not pretty at all, but I never get tired of it. We’ve had kittens born here, puppies, foals, even a donkey gave birth here once. And, back when we ran the ranch, we had cattle foaling all the time. It never gets old. Even watching chicks hatch is amazing.”
They watched as the mother cat licked the kitten clean. Within minutes, she looked a little more like a kitten and less like a blob.
“How long before the next one?” Laura asked, turning her head slightly to look at Cade.
Cade couldn't keep his eyes off her mouth, so close to his. A few inches and he could touch his lips to hers, test to see if she’d really let him. See if her mouth was as soft as it looked.
“Could be minutes, could be hours. We won’t know how many she’ll have either. Probably two or three, but she could have more. It’s always a mystery with strays.”
Laura turned back around.
Damn.
The kitten nursed hungrily, its eyes still closed, ears scrunched up like they were still closed off as well. Cade watched Laura’s face and could see the wonder in her eyes. He knew how she felt.
They watched as two more kittens appeared, to be cleaned by the mama cat and begin nursing.
“It’s hard to tell with them still wet, but we have at least one orange kitten, one calico, and then either a black or gray kitten. It’s probably time for us to name the mama and we’ll have to find names for all of the kittens. At least temporary names until we adopt them out,” Cade said.
“When will they go to new homes?” Laura asked, turning her head again, putting those eyes, that mouth into tempting territory again.
Cade swallowed and fought the urge to press his lips to hers. “Six weeks or so.”
Laura turned around again and Cade wanted to curse. He liked it better when she was twisted to face him, even though he had to fight the urge to pull her closer and crush her mouth with his.
“Another baby,” Laura cried and Cade pulled his eyes from her to watch one more baby deliver. This one was larger than the others, but Cade saw no movement as the mother cat licked at the sack, tearing it open. He watched a minute longer, but saw no results from the mama cat’s efforts to stir her kitten.
“Shoot,” Cade pushed Laura up and hauled himself to his feet, grabbing a towel from one of the shelves above them.
“What’s wrong?” Laura asked as Cade lifted the limp kitten.
“Hopefully just a little liquid in its airway. If I can clear it, it should be fine. If it’s anything more than that, there’s not much I can do.”
Cade held the kitten between his large hands and turned it gently but firmly upside down. Then he rubbed its sides with the towel, watching for any sign of breathing. He’d done this before, sometimes with good results, and other times with no results at all. But, he’d never held his breath quite as tensely, hoping for the best result.
He didn’t want Laura to have to watch this kitten die. He’d dealt with it often enough, but the idea of her seeing that didn’t feel right. Especially not while she carried her own baby. He rubbed gently but firmly and watched for any sign of life.
“There. She’s breathing,” Cade said, grinning at Laura, who stood by his side closely watching every move he made.
“It’s a girl?” she asked.
This got a big laugh from Cade. “Actually, I have no idea. If you’re really good, you can make a pretty good guess with a newborn kitten, but it’s really just a guess. We’ll be able to tell in about four weeks.”
“So, we need completely gender-neutral names?” Laura asked as he placed the last kitten at its mother’s teat to nurse, and then sat back down to allow Laura to slide down next to him.
They leaned back against the wall of the tack room and watched the kittens nurse.
“I guess we do. Spot?”
Laura laughed. “For which one? None of them are really spotted. Besides, that sounds like a boy’s name.”
Cade pointed to the orange kitten. “O.”
Laura pointed to the black kitten. “B?” Cade laughed and nodded before pointing to the kitten that now looked grayer as its fur dried. “G,” he said.
Laura finished, pointing to the calico kitten. “Cal. We can call it Cal if it turns out to be a boy and Callie if she turns out to be a girl.”
Cade smiled and nodded to the mother. “What about the mother cat? Can’t keep calling her Mama Cat all her life.”
“Hope,” Laura said, looking at the cat that licked her kittens as they nursed. “Her name is Hope.”
Cade watched Laura as she turned toward him and couldn’t resist any longer. She looked...peaceful. Like she’d finally given in to the idea that it was safe to want more in her life.
He lowered his head to hers, pausing just the slightest bit to let her stop him if she wanted to. He didn’t know how he’d stop this now, but if she wanted him to, he’d find a way.
Cade brushed her lips with his, the barest touch. Just a whisper of a kiss, but that whisper sent arousal screaming through his body. Cade’s hand threaded through Laura’s hair and pulled her closer as he deepened the kiss. For one second, his heart froze while he waited to see if she would pull away or kiss him back.
Chapter Twenty-four
Laura thought for a split second she might be dreaming. That because she’d imagined Cade kissing her, pulling her into him like this so many times…her mind had finally snapped and tricked her into believing it was happening.
But the feel of his mouth, so soft, but strong at the same time couldn’t be denied. He was strong in a way Patrick had never been. It was a strength that would hold her and protect her, but she knew this man would never harm her.
Laura melted into Cade’s arms, and when he pulled back and let his mouth glide slowly back and forth on hers, shivers raced through her. Her lips tingled from the slight touch and her whole body felt as if it might burst. If this was a dream, it wasn’t one she ever wanted to wake up from.
“Meeeeaaaaaaaoooowww!” came a somewhat twisted yowl from the mother cat, breaking the moment and bringing breathless laughter from both Cade and Laura.
“What was that?” Laura asked, turning to Hope. “Are you kicking us out, Hope?”
“Meeeaaawww,” came a shorter, more satisfied meow, as if Laura had guessed correctly.
Cade pulled Laura up beside him. “I should get you home. It’s late,” he said, taking her hand in his as they walked out of the tack room. Red followed on their heels and hopped into the truck and Cade drove them to the main house.
All Laura could think about on the drive was that she didn’t want the night to end. She didn’t want to lose this feeling ever again. She wanted to fly high on the utter happiness she was floating on right now. She didn’t want to wake up to uncertainty and doubt the next morning.
When Cade kissed her goodnight on the porch, she let herself sink into the thrill that rushed through her at his touch, at the feel of his hands on her arms.
But, it wasn’t enough.
It was over all too soon and she was alone, walking up the stairs to her room.
***
“This isn’t getting us anywhere,” Paul said, kicking at a bottle in the parking l
ot by the tire of their rented sedan.
“We’ve only checked two of the towns. There’s still Evadale and Evers. Besides, Alec Hall is paying for this wild-goose chase, so what do you care?” Mark asked.
Paul glanced away, and Mark knew right off the bat his partner was hiding something. Paul had never really mastered the art of a poker face.
“What the hell, Paul? What didn’t you tell me?” Mark asked.
“When I talked to Hall, he said he wanted us to chase down every lead, but he also said he expected results from this or we’re done.”
“Damn, Paul. So you all but guaranteed we’d get results down here? Even if we find the doctor, we have no way of knowing if Laura’s with him. He could really be on vacation for all we know. What the hell were you thinking?”
“I was thinking I didn’t really have a choice. What was I supposed to tell him? I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but people who tell Alec Hall ‘no’ don’t always walk away in one piece. At least this way, if we have to deliver bad news, we’re a few states away. We can run before he gets someone down here to deal with us,” Paul said, kicking the bottle again. This time it hit the concrete wall of the gas station and sent green glass flying.
Mark paced for a few minutes, trying to figure out which town to head to next, and how much time Alec would give them before he sent someone looking for them—or looking to replace them.
“Call your contact at the police department back home. See if they’ve heard anything on Laura’s whereabouts. Maybe we’ll catch a break,” Mark said and then waited while Paul made the call.
Paul gestured for the map after talking for a few minutes. “Where was that?” he asked into the phone while Mark laid the map out on the hood of the car for him. Paul scanned the map and grinned pointing at Evers. “Thanks. I owe you one.”
He hung up and turned to Mark. A sheriff reported speaking to Laura Kensington. Said he had no grounds to bring her in. She was unharmed, didn’t seem to be a danger to herself or anyone else and didn’t want to go home. He said she was on her way out of town. Thing is, his jurisdiction just happens to have Evers, Texas smack in the middle of it.”
“Let’s get over there and get this done. I’m ready to be finished with Alec Hall,” Mark said, jogging around to the driver’s side door.
Chapter Twenty-five
“Do you think I can learn to ride a horse?”
Laura and Cade were leaning on the rails of one of the pastures, watching some of the newly retired horses graze in the morning sun.
Cade wrapped an arm around Laura’s waist. “I think you can learn to do anything you want. Although, we may need to wait until after you have the baby for the horses. I guess we can ask Doc what he thinks.”
Laura smiled and patted her still fairly flat belly. “I know. I can wait. I just mean someday.”
“I like hearing you talk about someday here at the ranch. It’s much better than all of that talk about running and leaving all the time,” Cade said and he pressed his mouth to Laura’s neck, bringing a sigh from her as she leaned into him.
When he pulled back, though, he found Laura frowning.
“What’s that look for?”
Laura twisted her mouth up in the pouty little way she sometimes did when she didn’t want to tell him something. Cade put his hands on her waist and lifted her onto a flat section of the top rail of the paddock.
“What’s up? Why the look?”
“Can I ask you something?” Laura asked.
“Anything.”
“Why would you want to get involved with me? I mean, I’m having another man’s baby. Doesn’t that seem like a bad time for you to want to start something?”
Cade frowned at her. “I guess I don’t think of it the same way you do. The baby is just part of you. You’re a package deal. It’s no different than me getting involved with you if you were a single mom,” he said. “It seems to me, we need to be careful about the baby’s feelings until we’re sure where this is going, but we have several months for us to find that out before the baby is in the picture. But, as for me wanting the baby if you and I decide we want a life together? That’s not even an issue. It’s your baby, Laura. Of course, I would want to raise it with you, to love it as my own.”
Laura didn’t answer, but it was clear the gears of her brain hadn’t stopped grinding. She was chewing on something.
“You gonna tell me what else you’re thinking?” Cade asked, his hands rubbing up and down her thighs.
“What if the baby is like him? What if it’s a boy and….” She swallowed and couldn’t seem to finish her thought, but Cade knew where she was headed.
“This baby has you in him as much as he has his father’s genes. And, he or she will be raised by you, loved and taught by you. That’s what will matter.”
Laura didn’t respond but her features softened, like she might believe a bit of what he was saying.
Cade gave up trying to get her to talk. She’d talk more when she was ready. He pulled her down off the rail and into his arms, lowering his head to capture her lips. So soft, always so ready for him, melding to his mouth…as if her lips were the perfect match to his. Yup. He could definitely wait for her to be ready to talk.
Cade pulled Laura down in the grass, settling her so she straddled his lap. He wrapped his arms around her, loving the smile that stretched across her face. “Let’s just focus on being together now. Let’s forget about the past, stop worrying about the future, and just be here together. Now.”
Laura’s sighs as he kissed her throat, traced her jaw line with his teeth, and nibbled her ear, were the only answer Cade got, or needed.
Chapter Twenty-six
Cade came up beside Laura as she put Red’s food dish down for breakfast and slipped his hand into hers. Laura loved the feel of his fingers threaded through hers. It was a feeling worth keeping; worth fighting for and she smiled up at him.
“Let’s go on a date tonight. We can go somewhere nice for dinner. Maybe drive over to the city?” he suggested.
Laura shook her head, making his face fall.
“No? You don’t want to go on a date?”
“I don’t want to go to a fancy restaurant. I want to get pizza and go to the movies,” Laura said with a smile.
“Ah. Let me guess? Going to a movie was considered beneath you? Patrick never took you to the movies?”
“Nope. No pizza, no movies. Only five star for us. I used to go to the movies sometimes during the day, but we never went as a couple. I miss just being normal, you know. I want normal,” Laura smiled up at him, rising up on her tip-toes.
Cade dropped a kiss on Laura’s lips. “Then normal’s what you’ll get. I’ll see what’s playing. What are you doing the rest of the day?”
“Your mom and I are making pies for the Strawberry Festival. She said it’s a pretty big deal around here.”
That brought a burst of laughter from Cade. “Yeah, you could say that. They shut down the whole town and block off all the roads. There are a bunch of artists that have galleries in town so they set up shows, and there are booths that sell pies, candles, crafts—you name it. Mom and her friends sell pies at a booth and then put the money toward buying Christmas presents for families in need.”
Laura knitted her brows. “So, exactly how many pies will I be baking this afternoon?”
Cade’s smile was downright mischievous. “Oh, I’m sure it won’t be too many. You’ll be fine.”
***
Laura watched as a seemingly endless number of women flooded May’s kitchen. Tables were set up in the living room where some assembled boxes for the pies, and others dusted the tables with flour and set out rolling pins to roll out dough for the crusts. Another group of women were hulling and slicing strawberries at the kitchen table.
All of the women said hello to Laura when they came in, as if she were simply one of the group, as if they’d known her for years.
“Don’t worry, no one’s going to bite you. We’r
e all quite nice, really,” said a tiny woman whose white hair had a slightly pink tinge to it, and stood a good four inches above her head in a teased style that had Laura clamping her lips together to keep from giggling.
“Um,” Laura said as the woman pushed a bowl of strawberries and a knife in front of her and pulled her down to sit next to her at the table.
“I’m Haddie. Hadeline Gertrude Gillman to be exact, but everyone calls me Haddie,” she said with a smile at Laura as she nodded toward the bowl and the knife.
Laura picked up the knife and began hulling the berries and putting them in the larger bowls in the center of the table. “I’m Laura,” she said.
“We know that,” said another woman sitting across from her. She had beautiful black hair and striking blue eyes in a young face. “There’s not a person in the county that doesn’t know who you are. I’m Ashley Mayer. Ignore anything inappropriate that Haddie says. She’s a little eccentric and frankly, she doesn’t have all her marbles anymore. Though inhibition and social graces seem to have abandoned her, we love her.”
Much to Laura’s surprise, Haddie smiled, wide and gleefully. “Thank you, dear. I love you all, too,” she said, not seeming the least bit offended by Ashley’s assessment.
“Very tactful, Ashley,” said a woman on the other side of Haddie. She leaned forward and looked down the table at Laura. “Ashley has no excuse for her lack of tact. She’s got all her faculties and she still says whatever she wants.”
“That’s my sister, Cora. She’s the good little girl in the family. I’m not,” said Ashley and Laura laughed as she watched Ashley stick her tongue out at her sister across the table, despite the fact that she appeared to be in her late twenties.
“You’re sisters?” Laura asked, looking from one to the other. Cora had dark skin and dark brown eyes. Her features were nothing like Ashley’s pale skin and blue eyes. Even though they both had dark hair, they looked nothing alike.
Cora answered first, jumping in to speak over Ashley who looked like she was winding up to answer. “We’re adopted. We have three other siblings we look nothing like either. That’d be our brothers, Sam and Nathan, and another sister, Emma. You’ll meet them at the Strawberry Festival.”