The Cowgirl Who Loved Horses, Queens of Montana Bonus Book

by Vanessa Bartal

  Chapter 17

  Cecily spent the next two days obsessively cleaning her ranch house. Her mother hadn’t visited in two years, since her father’s incarceration when the family had figuratively circled their wagons. It was the closest the two women ever came to having a real relationship. Most of the time they stayed out of each others way.

  She thought for certain that she wouldn’t be able to sleep the night before the visit, but she slept soundly and woke refreshed. After the initial adjustment of sleeping next to Marcus, she now slept better beside him and wondered how she had slept alone for so many years without his arm curled protectively around her.

  “Today’s the day,” he murmured sleepily against her ear.

  She groaned. “Thank you for the reminder.”

  He smiled. “Sarcasm doesn’t suit you, Babe.”

  “It had better learn to adjust; I can’t live without it,” she said.

  “Strange, I say the same thing about you,” he returned. “I hate to rush, but I have to. Lots to do today.”

  She groaned again. “You own the ranch. Can’t you take the occasional day off?”

  “I will when you do,” he said. He had commented a few times on how hard she worked her ranch. He always said it with pride. She was too embarrassed to tell him part of the reason she threw herself into her work was to escape his mother.

  She rolled over to face him and pressed her palm to his cheek. “Let’s take a second honeymoon. Right now. This minute. We can go anywhere you want.”

  He laughed at her. “You can’t run away from your mother; she’ll always find you.”

  So will yours, she thought bitterly. He kissed her and some of her tension eased, only to reappear with more strength after he left for the day. She ate a hurried, stressful breakfast with his mother and then, after offering to clean up and being rebuffed, exited the house with expediency.

  “Hello, Jessup,” she called, hurriedly ascending into the saddle before he could start a conversation. She felt nervous and jittery and riding her horse didn’t work to calm her as it usually did. She wished Dante was still home to run interference like usual, but he had moved to Omaha to start his new job as an actuary, and Kitty went with him to help him settle in to the city. She attended the University of Nebraska there, and was familiar with all the place had to offer.

  Her mother declined her offer to pick her up in town, saying she would make her own way to the ranch, and Cecily was not-so-secretly relieved. It was torture to have to wait around for her mother to show up, but it would have been worse if they had to make awkward small talk on the hour-long drive from town.

  Instead of working outside like she normally did, she worked in the kitchen preparing supper. Lydia Henshaw hadn’t uttered a word about inviting Shelby Blake for supper, so Cecily took matters into her own hands. She was cooking dinner for everyone at her own house and inviting her in-laws there. After careful thought she decided to make Spanish food. She hoped it would make her mother happy and her in-laws impressed, so she was now preparing a menu of various tapas and paella along with a caramel flan for dessert.

  The front door slammed and she winced. She was only partway through with her meal preparation; how could time have slipped away so quickly?

  “Smells good in here,” Marcus said. She whirled to face him with a look of delight.

  “Marcus,” she said dumbly. She wondered if he was imaginary.

  He grinned. “Surprise.”

  “What are you doing here?”

  “I came to see my girl. I thought about what you said this morning, and you’re right. I should take the day off to spend with you and your moth…”

  His words were cut off when she ran across the room, leapt into his arms and kissed him soundly.

  “I take it you approve.” He could barely get the words out because she was pelting his face with kisses.

  “I love you,” she said when her ardor cooled slightly. He smiled indulgently at her. “I mean it, Marcus. I really and truly love you.” She cupped his face and kissed him again, tenderly this time. The kiss was starting to spiral out of control when she heard her mother’s voice behind them.

  “Something’s burning in here and I don’t think it’s the food.”

  Cecily reluctantly let go of him, noting as she did so that his cheeks were tinged a faint pink. She smiled. She had never seen him blush before. Her mother had caught her kissing boys, but having his mother-in-law catch him locked in a passionate embrace was new for Marcus.

  He set Cecily down. She took his hand and turned him to her mother.

  “Mom, you remember Marcus. Marcus, this is my mother, Shelby Blake.”

  “Diaz-Blake,” Shelby corrected. “But you can call me Shelby.”

  “Shelby,” Marcus said warmly. He held out his hand and they shook. “It’s nice to see you again.”

  She nodded. “You were only eighteen when I left,” she said.

  “I was only twelve,” Cecily said. She darted a mischievous glance at Marcus.

  He put her in a headlock. “Yes, please remind your mother of my cradle-robbing tendencies.” He kissed her cheek.

  “It’s not the cradle-robbing that bothers me so much as the speed with which you did it,” Shelby said.

  “Mom,” Cecily bristled. Ten seconds before she started in on me. A new record, she thought.

  Shelby held up her hands in supplication. “All I’m saying is that a little warning would have been nice, Cecily. Or an invitation to your wedding.”

  “I’m afraid that’s my fault,” Marcus tried.

  Shelby brushed his words aside as if he hadn’t spoken. “I’ve never known any of your family to be impulsive, Marcus. My daughter, on the other hand.” She let the insinuation hang.

  Cecily clenched her hands into fists. “Mother, I am twenty years old. If I want to get married on the spur of the moment then that’s my business.”

  “Yes, because it worked out so well for your father and me,” Shelby said acidly.

  “And I suppose that’s my fault, too,” Cecily yelled. “Besides, you and Dad are back together, aren’t you?”

  “As back together as we can be when one of us is in prison,” Shelby said.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” Cecily said. “That Marcus is doomed to end up in prison because we married quickly?”

  Marcus cleared his throat. “Can I help you with supper, honey?” he asked, and gave Cecily a pointed look. She took a deep breath and tried to calm down.

  “That would be great,” she said. “Why don’t you help Mom with her bags first?” She smiled at him and realized as she did so what a soothing balm it was to have him nearby.

  He smiled at Cecily and winked as he passed her. “Come on, Shelby, you can tell me embarrassing stories about Cecily when she was little.”

  “I’m sure you know a few of them,” Shelby said. “You watched her grow up, after all.”

  Cecily opened her mouth to retort but stopped when Marcus turned around and shook his head at her. Instead she stuck her tongue out at him and he chuckled.