by JoAnn Durgin
“Your lips were made specifically for mine, you know. We’re a perfect match.” Pretty corny for an ad man, but her smile told him she appreciated the sentiment.
Releasing a sigh of extreme contentment, she slid off his lap and leaned back against him. Several minutes passed in silence as he held her close. “I can feel your heartbeat.”
He laughed. “Then you can tell how fast it’s beating.”
“Are you nervous?”
“A little.”
“Why?” She turned to look at him, those deep blue eyes searching his.
“Am I forgiven?” He watched her, his heart in his throat.
“You should know the answer to that question, especially after what I said to the entire group tonight, and especially after what we’ve been doing for the past hour or so.”
Was that a giggle? Oh, in that moment how he wished they were back home. “I need to hear the words, Natalie.”
Pressing her lips against his for another long kiss, she pulled away with a reluctant groan. “Of course, I forgive you. I just needed to work through it all in my own head. It’s rather hard to rearrange my thinking sometimes when I’ve only thought in one direction for so long.”
“I think that crazy sentence actually made sense, which must mean that I understand you pretty well, my beautiful Natalie.” He shook his head and kissed the tip of her nose. “Thank you, sweetheart. Not to belabor the point, but what made you change your mind?”
She shook her head. “For one thing, you’ve got a whole gang of cheerleaders around here.”
That made him laugh. “What else?” He kissed her cheek, nibbling a slow path down to her neck. With a deep sigh, he pulled away and tried to focus.
“It wasn’t so much that I changed my mind. I think, in the back of my mind, I always knew I’d forgive you. I just had to stand back and look at it from your perspective.”
“And you could do that?”
“It wasn’t easy,” she said, looking down for a moment, “and not to say I’ve worked everything out in my mind yet, but I can understand how you could have been . . . tempted, and how you could have given into those temptations, especially without the love of the Lord guiding you. That makes all the difference.” She looked back up at him then, mesmerizing him. “Any woman would be crazy not to want you. As God is my witness, I’m going to do everything within my power to keep you crazy in love with me for the rest of our lives.”
“I don’t think that will be a problem,” he said, stroking her hair. “There’s only one other woman who will ever fully have my heart, you know.” He chuckled. “And I’m not talking about my mother. Or my sister.”
“What?” she asked, looking momentarily alarmed. “Oh.” She laughed a little as her cheeks flushed a pretty pink. “I suppose we should start discussing her name soon.”
“Oh, we’ll have plenty of time . . . later,” he said, pulling her close again. Her sigh of longing was such sweet reward. Leaving her at the door of the women’s cabin a few minutes later, Marc smiled as she stood on her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek.
Time for the full-on ammunition. He planted one of his best efforts on her. He felt dizzy, almost drunk with happiness and desire. It was quite possibly their best kiss ever, and there had been some he thought would go unequaled. But this one . . . well, this one would send them both to bed happy.
Chapter 38
“Sam, we’ve got to have some fun.”
Lexa didn’t need to tell him twice. “I’ll get the key.”
“Not that kind of fun . . . at least not yet.” She gave him a knowing smile. “We need to take the troops into town, loosen them up. With everything going on with Natalie and Marc—and with what happened with Beck—everyone’s all tense. They deserve a break.” She folded the dish towel and turned to face him, leaning back against the counter.
Taking his precious wife by the hand, Sam led her into the family room. Falling onto the sofa, he pulled her down with him, and she fell easily into his embrace and onto his lap. He kissed her long, passionately. “Like I told you that night Sheila went missing in San Antonio, this is exactly why I need you beside me, my love. You are definitely my voice of reason, and, as usual, you’re exactly right.” He kissed her again, loving how they fit perfectly, in every imaginable way. “So, tell me, what do you have in mind for the troops?” A few minutes later, after she’d outlined her idea, he nodded. They’d put it into action as soon as dinner was over that night. “Sounds like a plan. No time like the present. You tell the ladies, and I’ll tell the men.”
She smiled and slid off his lap. “Okay. And maybe later tonight, handsome cowboy . . .”
How his wife could read his mind. Scary sometimes, but also pretty wonderful. “You’d better believe it, beautiful girl.” With a small salute, he headed for his coat in the other room. He couldn’t wait to see the look on Marc’s face when he told him their plan.
~~**~~
Three hours later, the TeamWork group, minus Kevin and Winnie who stayed behind to watch over Rebekah, piled into the SUVs stationed at the ranch as they headed into Helena to a popular country western restaurant. They squeezed into the cars so tight that Natalie was practically on Marc’s lap. He didn’t mind a bit, but she appeared slightly uncomfortable. It nearly drove him to distraction as he caught a whiff of her perfume as she leaned close to him as one of the other women climbed in.
If only Trevor could see me now, squished in the back of an SUV, my wife on my lap, headed to a country western joint in Helena, Montana. It felt pretty great.
After they arrived at their destination, it didn’t take long to discover Sam’s one weakness in life. The man had two left feet, and kept stepping on Lexa’s dainty feet as they danced. She occasionally grimaced in pain, but then she’d laugh until she looked ready to drop to the floor. As the strains of a slow song began, Sam gathered Lexa into his arms.
A short time later, the TeamWork crew gathered around a large, round table, munching on snacks, laughing and chatting together. Lexa’s idea to get them out of Milestone Ranch for the night was a rousing success. They’d invited the other ranch hands, but they’d begged off for various reasons.
Marc leaned close to Sam. “I’m rather surprised to see you drinking a beer, old man.”
“In deference to Dirty Harry, it’s about knowing your limitations. If it makes you feel any better, you can be our designated driver tonight if you’re not imbibing.”
“I accept that challenge, my friend.” Marc laughed and raised his glass of water with lemon. What a sissy city boy he’d turned out to be. Maybe he should let out a loud belch to fully reinforce his masculine image.
“Okay, I’ll confess,” Sam said, chuckling under his breath, “it’s non-alcoholic.” He shrugged when he caught Marc’s glance of feigned outrage. “I hate the taste of alcohol, or I might drink one. I only drink this stuff to boost my whole masculine cowboy image.”
Marc shook his head. “You do just fine on your own in that arena without any props.”
Natalie excused herself to go to the ladies room. After talking with some of the other men for a few minutes, Marc looked at his watch, wondering why she was taking so long since she wasn’t one to dawdle in the ladies room. When another five minutes passed, and she still wasn’t back, he decided it was time to take a little stroll. He just hoped she was okay. The fact that she was pregnant was never far from his mind these days.
As he walked toward the back of the place, he stopped short, staring in disbelief. What in the world? Natalie was in the pool room, sandwiched in-between two distinctly ungentlemanly guys. One of whom was dangerously close to putting his grubby paws on his wife. She must have sensed his presence—or his outrage—as she turned her head and saw him. Those deep blue peepers pleaded with him to get her out of there.
The bigger, burlier of the two men leaned forward, his arm trapping her means of escape as he leaned too close. She turned her head, probably to avoid the stench of his inebriated breat
h. The shorter man put one hand on Natalie’s waist and pulled her to him in a rough manner.
A feral growl from somewhere deep in his gut escaped as Marc roared forward. He’d never been so infuriated. Stopping just short of the men—hairy apes, the both of them—something made him pause. Try to reason with these men first. Tell them she’s your wife. Above all, he didn’t want to embarrass Natalie, but he also didn’t want to look like a wuss. It was bad enough he drank sissy water with lemon. He was a former professional athlete, for crying out loud. Time to prove his manhood. At least Sam Lewis had the smarts to boost his macho image by drinking fake beer. No, he’d deal with these guys another way. Still, he felt no fear—only remorse he hadn’t looked for her earlier.
“Let her go. Now.” The force of his command surprised Natalie, and her eyes widened. She seemed impressed, and that was enough to spur him on. He’d seen enough Clint Eastwood movies to know how to assume the tough guy persona. He was already wearing cowboy boots and a borrowed Stetson—something he might not have believed possible a year before. The thought empowered him.
“Back off, jerk. I saw her first.” The second man raked a lecherous eye up and down Natalie, and she shrank away from him. Her fingers reached behind her, clutching the edge of the pool table.
“I said let her go.” Fists clenched at his sides, trying to ignore the huge, immovable lump lodged in his throat, Marc paced a step forward, closer to the men. The first man threw him a threatening look and balled one huge fist against his palm. This couldn’t be good. Marc’s heart pounded, but he managed to nod Natalie’s way to reassure her. She looked frightened now. Great.
The first guy waved a hand over his head. “Hey, boys! Looks like we’ve got ourselves a lover boy here.” The mood of the entire room shifted as several men turned and headed in Marc’s direction, one slow, menacing step at a time. From the looks of them, they’d all imbibed more than sissy water. Maybe that would be to his advantage.
Okay, Lord, you can tell me not to fight all you want, but I’m not listening.
This was about more than protecting Natalie’s honor. It was about survival, pure and simple. The other men came at him fast, swinging hard as big, beefy fists met him head-on. Raising his dukes, he fought back.
~~**~~
Seeing her mode of escape, Natalie ducked and flew back into the restaurant and dance hall. Spying Sam, she called to him and ran to where he moved slowly on the dance floor with Lexa. “Sam! Reinforcements needed. Hurry!” Dashing onto the dance floor, she apologized to Lexa and grabbed Sam by the hand, pulling him behind her as she hurried back into the pool room.
Sam whistled loud enough so it could be heard over the strains of music coming from the live band at the front of the room. “TeamWork troops, follow me!”
Marc darted a quick look in Sam’s direction as he burst into the pool room, all cylinders blazing. Together they tackled the two biggest guys coming at them with full force. Dean and Eliot held back the goons’ other friends who had all faded into the background, their will to fight waning when they saw her husband’s more-than-capable reinforcements.
Natalie gasped when the two original instigators moved toward Marc from behind, their expressions menacing. “Marc, watch out! Behind you!” Closing her eyes tight, she couldn’t help but open them again. She had to watch, peeking and praying the Lord would watch over them. Should she be upset they were fighting, or grateful and proud they were fighting for her honor? What a mess. Lexa came to stand right behind her, and Natalie heard her sharp intake of breath.
Sam backed the beefier, burlier of the two against the pool table. The man’s eyes rolled back into his head and he collapsed, inebriated, sprawled halfway on top of the table. The vermin who’d put his grimy hands on her came after Marc. It didn’t take much for him to end up next to his friend on the pool table. This one, too, was drunk and gave him a glassy-eyed stare. Natalie almost clapped, but refrained. Not that she relished seeing her husband fight. In the background, she heard the bartender holler for someone to make sure the two men got home safe. Judging by the comments she overheard, this type of thing wasn’t exactly uncommon.
Pulling himself to his full height, Marc nodded at Sam. “Looks like our work here is done. And,” he said, turning to make sure he made eye contact with the two men gasping on top of the pool table, “before you go bothering a lady again, you’d better first pick your fight wisely, boys.”
With sudden, surprising force, one of the other men lunged forward and caught Sam unaware, shoving his fist into the TeamWork leader’s jaw. Whirling around, surprised and off-kilter, Sam steadied himself. When the same man came after Marc, he retaliated by pummeling his fist into the stomach of the attacker. The man fell backward, sprawled on the ground, groaning. Shaking his fist, Marc winced and looked up at Sam.
“Like I said, a man’s gotta know his limitations,” Sam said. “Thanks. I owe you one for helping me out.”
“You owe me nothing, or so a wise man once said. That’s what I’m here for.”
“Natalie,” Lexa said, walking forward to claim her man as the rest of the crowd disbursed, “I think we’ve got ourselves Butch Cassidy and Sundance Kid here.” She looked back over her shoulder. “Are those guys going to be okay?”
Sam nodded. “They’ll be fine after they sleep it off. Apparently, they’re not fond of city slickers invading their territory.” He dabbed at the thin line of blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
“Sam, you’re hurt!” Lexa pulled his head down for a closer inspection.
“I’m fine, Lexa. Never better.” He repositioned his black Stetson and draped his arm around his wife’s waist.
“Are you hurt, too?” Natalie turned Marc’s face toward her. The area around one eye looked a little suspicious, and might be a shiner by morning. “Does anything hurt?”
“I’ll let you know in the morning. I’m not feeling a whole lot of pain right now.” He gave her a wry grin, but she caught his slight grimace.
“Why don’t you ladies go back into the restaurant, and we’ll join you shortly?” Sam said.
“I hope they don’t get into another fight,” Natalie said as she and Lexa returned to their table. “Where are Amy and Cassie?” She looked around. “I should warn them how dangerous it can be to go to the ladies room.”
Lexa nodded her head in the direction of a nearby table. “Look.” Cassie bounced a giggling little boy on one knee and Amy did the same with a slightly older girl.
“They allow kids in here?” Natalie shook her head.
Lexa shrugged. “This is the restaurant area, and it’s the only one within a ten-mile radius, so I’m sure it’s pretty much the place to be. Looks to me like our two friends are giving a weary mom and dad a chance to dance while they watch their children.”
Glancing at her watch and darting a glance toward the back, Natalie bit her lip. “What do you think Sam and Marc are doing back there?”
“Don’t worry,” Lexa said. “Knowing Sam, he’ll make sure those guys are all right even if he to drive them home himself. He always has a New Testament or two in his back pocket, and I wouldn’t doubt those guys might be getting a little bit of the gospel.” They shared a grin.
“Sorry,” Sam said as he, Marc, Dean and Eliot joined them a few minutes later. “I had no idea we’d get into a fight when we planned this outing. We thought it might be nice to get away from the ranch for a change of scenery.”
“Don’t apologize,” Marc said. “It was quite the adventure, but before we leave, I must insist on at least one dance with my lovely wife.”
Sam nodded. “We can wait a few more minutes. Have fun, kids.”
“We will, but do your wife a big favor and sit this one out.” They heard laughter from both Sam and Lexa as he put his arm around Natalie’s waist and led her to the dance floor. Unlike his mentor with two left feet, Marc had no worries in the dancing arena. Pulling Natalie into his arms, he drew her close. The good Lord knew he needed a long, slo
w dance so he could hold his wife. She felt so good, and he smiled as she snuggled closer to his chest. Ah, she was worth every bit of the fight with those big bruisers. As they danced, he knew it wasn’t his imagination her waist seemed a little thicker, her body softer.
In the middle of the song, Marc pulled back so he could look at her. What he saw moved him to his core. If it wasn’t love staring back at him, he didn’t comprehend the meaning of the word. Tilting her chin, he leaned forward, his lips only an inch from hers. He wanted to look at her, drink in her beauty, and savor the moment.
When he hesitated, Natalie leaned forward into his waiting lips, surprising him with a spontaneous, enticing kiss. “You fought for me.”
“I hated to see that guy with his hands on you. I’d fight an army if needed.”
“My hero.” She tugged the Stetson a little lower on his forehead and leaned close. “By the way, I really like the cowboy hat.” Her hands inched up his chest, moving around his neck as his hold on her tightened and they danced together until the final strains of the song. It was difficult to ease her out of his arms. Reluctantly they parted, but the look on his wife’s face warmed him all the way down to his boot-covered toes. And then some. Right then and there, Marc resolved to buy a Stetson as soon as he got back to Boston.
~~**~~
Sam sat across from Marc at the kitchen table in the main house a short while later, their wounds being nursed by their wives. Without a doubt, Sam’s jaw would be his badge of honor the next morning.
“I have to say this has been one of the more exciting work camps,” Sam said, running a hand over his chin. “In San Antonio, we only had Lexa falling off a house, a fire, a fight, money stolen from the safe and a kidnapping. But this one is ranking right up there. In little more than a week, we’ve managed to witness the birth of a calf, a near-drowning, a fistfight with a bunch of drunks in a pool hall . . . . Congratulations, buddy. We’ve still got almost a whole week to go.”