Chadwick Ranch, Book 1: Winter Holiday Romance

by Bonnie Marlewski-Probert

  At the end of a long day, Adam sat on his bed and opened his laptop, making the following journal entry:

  I realized today that if you want to bring brothers together, finding a mutual cause that they can all get behind is the quickest way to get there. Today, all four of us went to Beau’s school for his father/son event. We all stood in for his dad. It was not only a big moment for Mary and Beau but for the four of us as well. I could see there was a change that happened today between the four brothers. Maybe Dad was right to put the codicil in his will after all. Maybe it will bring the four of us back together as a family of brothers.

  Mary was so happy today watching Beau revel in having four surrogate dads. I find myself wanting to do or say anything that will put a smile on her face. I’ve never been officially in love, but I think I’m there now.

  Chapter 21, Katherine Comes to the Ranch

  Friday, January Eleventh

  “Katherine, I hate to ask this of you but would you agree to come to the ranch for our next meeting?” Carter asked. “I promise after this I’ll drive into San Antonio for the next two meetings.”

  “Has something come up on the ranch?”

  “No. I was going through all the paperwork I would need to bring with me so we could build the general ledger together and it turns out to be boxes and boxes of stuff that we’ll need to make sense out of. It will make a mess in your office. I thought if we could review it here, I can have it all set up before you arrive so we can fast track through it, if you are willing to make the drive a second time.”

  “Give me a minute to check my schedule to see when I would have time to make the journey.”

  “For what it’s worth, if you’re willing to make the drive, I’ll take you out for a wonderful dinner, on me,” Carter offered to sweeten the deal.

  “Can a local restaurant cook better than Mary?”

  “No, but we can have some privacy if I take you to a restaurant.”

  “Oh, then I don’t really care what we eat. I like the way you think,” she replied with a laugh.

  Tuesday, January Fifteenth

  The following Tuesday at 2:00 p.m., Katherine arrived at the Chadwick Ranch. Carter met her in the parking lot, giving her a quick kiss before taking her briefcase. The two headed upstairs right away to get down to business, knowing that the sooner they finished up, the sooner they could go out to dinner and enjoy some privacy. Fortunately, all three brothers were out working cattle and Mary was in her apartment, allowing the two of them some alone time in the ranch office upstairs.

  As much as they wanted to be together, they both knew the work needed to get done, so they agreed to focus, be professional and hurry things along as much as possible so they could get to their dinner date.

  At 5:30 p.m., happy with the progress they’d made that afternoon, they were both ready to call it a day. “Are you hungry?” Carter asked.

  “Hungry for what?” She smiled up at him from the dining room chair she was seated on next to the old rickety office chair that Carter was in.

  “In addition to being very hungry for you, I’m also hungry for dinner. Let’s get out of here before Mary rings the dinner bell and we end up having to stay here for dinner. I’ll write her a note and leave it on the dining room table as we slip out of the house.”

  “Great idea. I feel like I’m back in high school, sneaking out of the house before anyone knows I’m gone.”

  “Were you one of those girls in high school?”

  “I’m afraid so. Just because I’m an accountant, don’t be fooled; I’m an accountant by trade, not by personality.” She smiled mischievously.

  “Let’s go!” Carter rose, taking Katherine by the hand as the two tiptoed across the creaking floor boards of the hallway, onto the creaking stairs before dropping the note on the dining room table and hurrying out the front door like two thieves in the night.

  As they exited the house, Carter said, “Let’s take my truck.”

  The couple enjoyed a quiet dinner at the local restaurant in town. While the food was not nearly as good as Mary’s, the opportunity to spend some quiet time together made up for it.

  After dinner, Carter suggested, “Let’s go for a drive. There’s a place I want to show you.” They stopped at a secluded lookout point high above the small Texas town. “I don’t mind telling you that I’ve missed you,” Carter said, unbuckling his seat belt and sliding across the bench seat of his pickup before leaning in to kiss her.

  “I’ve missed you too. I’ve thought a lot about our kiss in the barn. By the way, how is the calf doing?” she asked, cradling his face in her hands between kisses.

  “He’s happy and healthy and back out on pasture with his mamma. I don’t want to talk about the calf. I want to kiss you, take your clothes off, and make love to you all night long,” Carter said, his eyes studying her lips as though he were looking at something magical. He leaned down gently, brushing his lips across hers, each kiss becoming hotter than the one before. She leaned down to release her seat belt but he placed his hand over hers to stop her. “I like having you strapped in,” he growled.

  “Are you into bondage, Carter?” she asked, her voice an equal mix of concern and curiosity.

  “Are you asking me if I know how to handle a rope?” he asked, kissing his way down her throat, enjoying listening to her moan for him.

  “Yes, I guess that’s what I’m asking you,” she whispered breathlessly.

  “I’m a cowboy. I know a hundred different ways to tie things down, whether that be equipment, cattle or women. Does that make you nervous?” he asked, his hand still on hers, both resting on the release mechanism of her seat belt while he kissed his way softly up her neck.

  “Hmmm,” she sighed as his lips made her burn up with heat. “It makes me curious,” she whispered, surprised by what she’d just said. Carter was equally surprised but delighted to hear her answer.

  “If you’re open to a little adventure tonight, I’d be happy to book a room at the hotel,” he suggested, his hand reaching her breast for the first time.

  “Hmmm, I wish I could, but I can’t tonight. I’m not prepared.” Their eyes met in silence for a moment.

  Although frustrated, he said, “I understand. Then, the next time I’m in San Antonio, if you’re still interested, I’ll show you my skills with a rope,” he continued to kiss up her neck before nibbling on her ear lobe.

  “I’m going to look forward to that.” She leaned her head to the side, giving him full access to her throat while her hand slipped between his thighs.

  “I know I will,” he growled softly in her ear.

  Chapter 22, Friday - Game Night

  Friday, January Eighteenth

  When Adam ducked into the kitchen that Friday morning before anyone else came down for breakfast, he wrapped his arms around Mary and gave her a soft, tender kiss that was filled with adoration. “Good morning, you look beautiful,” Adam said.

  “Hmmmm,” she moaned softly, “What a nice way to start my morning. Adam, would you like to come over tonight to play some games?”

  “What?” he asked innocently.

  She could see by the look on his face that he misinterpreted her invitation. “I meant like Go Fish or Scrabble or Chutes and Ladders. I have a seven-year-old in my house, remember? Beau and I try to do game night at least a couple of nights a week. After his homework is done and we’ve eaten dinner, I make special popcorn treats and we have game night. Would you like to join us tonight?”

  “Of course that’s what you meant.” Adam studied her for a moment smiling and realizing that she was inviting him to participate in something that only she and Beau had shared as a family; something that was very special to the two of them, “I would be honored to. Thanks for asking me. What time would you like me to come over?” Adam asked, still holding her in his arms.

  “We’re all eating at six here. Once dinner is done, Beau will head home to finish his homework while I finish tidying up. How about seven o’c
lock?”

  “Can I bring anything?”

  “Just your smiling face, that’s all I need,” she said, smiling up at him and giving him a quick, soft kiss.

  “I can do that. But I’d better get out of here or no one is going to get breakfast. Can I bring anything out to the table for you?”

  “Thanks, would you take the platter of bread and the butter out with you?”

  “Anything you want,” Adam said, grabbing the platter and butter before heading out of the kitchen.

  After breakfast, all four brothers headed out to work cattle. The weather was cold and wet that early February morning, making for a long day. Thankfully, first-year heifer calving season was just about over but now they were moving cattle to new grazing as part of their effort to protect the pastures from overgrazing by limiting the time the cattle were allowed on it. That meant supplementing their feed with round bales of hay in the dry lot that was set aside for this purpose. In the spring of the year when the ground was wet, leaving cattle on any pasture for too long would tear up the ground, forcing them to feed more hay throughout the year. For that reason, in the wet season, grazing was kept to a minimum which meant large numbers of cattle had to be moved and fed after just a couple of hours on pasture.

  The brothers did the job on horseback and after several hours in the saddle, they were all looking forward to a hot shower and a warm meal.

  Adam arrived back at the main house at 5:30 p.m. with just enough time to shower and change before dinner.

  At 7 p.m., Adam arrived at the outside entrance to the in-law apartment for game night. He knocked on the door.

  “Hi, Adam, you know you could have come through the house entrance,” Mary said.

  “No. This is your home and I’ll come to the front door like a gentleman should.”

  “Cowboy Adam! YIPEEEE!” Beau shouted, running from the kitchen when he heard Adam’s voice.

  “Hey cowboy, thanks for letting me join you on game night,” Adam said.

  “This is going to be great! Come on, mom made special popcorn. It’s the best,” Beau said, taking Adam by the hand and leading him into the kitchen.

  As they entered the small kitchen, Adam could smell popcorn, butter and caramel. “Hmmm, something smells very good,” he said.

  “My mom makes the best popcorn ever. Did you do cowboy stuff today?”

  “I did. We moved cattle from the big pasture down to the dry lot and we fed them hay so they wouldn’t spend too much time on pasture. We don’t want them to tear up the ground and ruin the summer grass. Did you do school stuff today?”

  “Yeah,” Beau said, taking a handful of the popcorn that filled a large bowl on the counter.

  “You don’t sound very excited about the school stuff. What did you do?”

  “We had a math test today and we did geography, too.”

  “How did you do on the test?” Adam asked, tasting the popcorn. “Hmmm, you were right, your mom makes the best popcorn.”

  “She sure does! I got a ninety-five on the math test,” Beau said in a matter-of-fact way.

  “That’s great! Aren’t you excited about that?”

  “No, there’s this kid in my class who always beats me on the test scores.”

  “Oh, did you think you were competing against him?”

  “Yeah? But he is a she,” Beau corrected Adam.

  “How about competing against your last best score instead. Then, you don’t have to be mad at anyone and nobody but you can best you.”

  “Gosh, I never thought about it that way. Hey, if I did that, I could be friends with her,” Beau said.

  “It’s always better to be friends with a girl instead of enemies,” Adam said, realizing for the first time that Mary had been standing at the kitchen entrance watching her two favorite men as they talked shop and ate popcorn. They made eye contact and he could see she was pleased, watching the interaction.

  Game night was a big success. Beau sat on the floor on one side of the coffee table while Mary and Adam sat on the couch. Beau remained the Chutes and Ladders champion of the world and the three of them polished off all the popcorn.

  Mary glanced at the clock that hung on the wall above the fireplace in the living room. “Beau, honey, it’s time for bed,” she said at 8:30 p.m.

  “But Mom, cowboy Adam is here and it’s Friday night. Can’t I stay up a little later?”

  “No. If you stay up later, you’ll be falling asleep in the middle of the day tomorrow. Now, off to bed with you. I’ll be in later to tuck you in.”

  “Oh Mom, I’m a cowboy. Nobody tucks cowboys in at night.”

  “I wish someone would tuck me in at night,” Adam said.

  “You do?”

  “Yeah. Beau, tomorrow right after breakfast I’m heading over to the feed store. Would you like to go with me?”

  “Yeah!” Beau shouted.

  “We have to check with your mom first. Mom, is it okay if we go to the feed store tomorrow?” Adam asked, winking at Mary.

  “Okay, but Beau, you have to get to bed or you’ll be too tired in the morning,” Mary warned.

  “I’m going right now. Good night cowboy Adam. Sorry I beat you tonight.”

  “Don’t worry, I just need more practice,” Adam said.

  “You should come over for game night every time and then you’ll get lots of practice,” Beau suggested.

  “Thanks, I’d like that,” Adam replied.

  “Good night, honey,” Mary said, watching Beau head down the hallway to his bedroom.

  “How do you like the apartment?” Adam asked, looking around for the first time. “You’ve really transformed it into a home,” he said, sitting close to her on the couch.

  “I love it. We painted some walls, added some color and some plants to make it homier. It’s cozy and convenient. Thanks again for this. It’s perfect for us,” Mary said.

  “I’m glad you’re happy here,” Adam said. “By the way, you’re welcome to come to the feed store tomorrow with us guys if you’d like. It’s not a very girly place, but you’d be welcome,” Adam said, taking Mary’s hand and kissing her palm softly.

  “Hmmm,” she whimpered softly, their eyes studying each other.

  “I appreciate you inviting me over tonight. I know this is a special thing that you and Beau do and I’m flattered that you wanted to include me.”

  “I shouldn’t have, but I really wanted you to be here.”

  “Why do you say you shouldn’t have?” Adam asked.

  “It’s already February and in less than five more months, you’re going to head back to your normal life and leave all of us behind. I don’t want Beau to be crushed when that happens but I really wanted to spend some time with you. I guess I was being selfish.”

  “Mary,” he said, kissing her palm first and then kissing her wrist before moving his lips up her forearm. “A lot can change in five months,” Adam said, putting his arm around her shoulders. She leaned into him, nuzzling her head against his hard chest.

  “Whatever happens, I have to look out for Beau. He’s already lost more than most children will ever lose and I don’t want him to lose anything else.” Adam stroked her upper arm as he held her close around her shoulders.

  “I don’t know what is going to happen in five months, but I promise you, I’ll do everything I can to ensure Beau isn’t hurt.”

  “I know you will, and I know I was just being selfish tonight, wanting you here. I feel like we’re two ships in the night most of the time. I’m either busy in the house or you’re out with the cattle. I only get to see you at meals and for a few stolen minutes here and there. I know I’m being selfish but I want more.”

  Adam lifted her chin with the index finger of his free hand. Their eyes met in silence. He could see the need in her eyes, “Mary, you’re not being selfish. I want more, just like you do. I want to be able to touch you during the day and kiss you and hold you. I think of you all day long while I’m working cattle. When I’m having breakfast
and dinner, I watch you, wishing I could have alone time with you. I think we both want the same things,” he said, leaning in to seal his lips over hers in a slow, ever-more-passionate kiss. Mary placed her hands on his chest, rocking her head back, surrendering herself to him.

  “Adam …” she whispered.

  “Yes. Are you okay?”

  “I’ve needed to tell you something since Christmas,”

  “What is it?” he asked, sitting up on the couch, giving her some space.

  “Since our first kiss at Christmas time, I wanted you to know that the way I feel with you is different than how I felt with Beau’s daddy.”

  “I understand. He was your husband and the father of your child. Of course you would feel differently toward him.”

  “No. You don’t understand. I never loved Beau’s daddy. We were married because I got pregnant. Between him and I, our relationship and our marriage was all about appearances. Of course, Beau loves his daddy and his heart breaks whenever he thinks about that loss, because even though Beau never really knew his daddy, I felt an obligation and a responsibility to do the right thing by his daddy and to make sure Beau knew he was loved by him and that he was a good man. Which he was, but I never loved him and he never loved me. I feel differently around you and I wanted you to know that.”

  “How do you feel about me?”

  “I think about you day and night. When you touch me, my body heats up in ways I have never experienced before. I watch for you throughout the day while I’m working in the house and I get excited whenever I see you. When I’m alone in the kitchen making meals, I wish that you would come in and kiss me hard and often, and there’s something else.”

  “What?”

  “I have an ache in my body that started at Christmas, after you kissed me the first time.”

  “I don’t understand. Are you all right?”

  She smiled at him, “Yes, I’m all right. That ache is for you. I want to be close to you in that special way. You’re the first man I’ve ever felt that way about and the ache is only getting worse with each passing day.”