by Ward, Alice
“There he is,” James announced, looking off to the distance. I turned and saw Stan’s truck ambling through the pasture. My stomach tightened as he grew nearer. That had become my standard reaction to seeing people for the first time since news of my relationship had spread. And spread it had. Every day came with more articles, some about us and some about the “new and alarming trend” of stepsibling love. A few of the more liberal magazines printed articles defending our relationship, but they weren’t the norm. Most reporters continued to overlook the fact that James and I were in no way related. Two reporters were particularly brutal. They questioned our parents’ values and threw the word incest around without digression.
“Let’s hope he isn’t a fan of the conservative press,” I exhaled as the truck grew closer.
“I’m sure everything will be fine,” James assured me. “We’re paying him. He has to be nice to us.”
“I guess we’re about to find out.”
Stan pulled up beside us and I climbed out of the truck as he opened his door.
“There’s our local champion,” he greeted me with a smile. “Congratulations on Mondo’s big win.”
“Thank you, Stan,” I said, shaking his hand. “I don’t believe you’ve met my fiancé. This is James Parker.”
James extended his hand and Stan shook it. “It’s nice to meet you, James. I guess more congratulations are in order. I didn’t realize you were engaged.” To my great relief, he looked genuinely happy for us.
“It’s a fairly new development,” James assured him. “So is that.” He nodded at our new pond and Stan let out an impressed whistle.
“That’s quite a mess,” he observed. “It looks like there was a minor slide right above the falls. But it’s easy enough to fix. We can dig it out a little, build up some proper walls, and you’ll have a permanent pond. I’ll run an overflow drain down to the main creek, and you’ll never have to worry about your house flooding. Not because of this, anyway.”
“That sounds perfect,” I agreed. “James suggested that we turn it into our own little park. I’d like to get it started as soon as possible.”
Stan nodded. “I’ll pull a few guys off of the barn and have them start tomorrow.”
“That’s wonderful,” I said, beaming like a little girl on Christmas.
The construction crew had started on the barn expansion a few days earlier. Another crew was putting a new roof on the cattle barn, while a trio of welders were breaking down the destroyed grain silo and hauling it off for scrap. The entire ranch looked like a disaster area and I hoped that some of the mess would be gone before Daddy and Renee’s wedding.
“Shall we go find our new build spot?” James asked, reaching for my hand. I took it, keeping my eyes on Stan. He didn’t flinch.
It really doesn’t bother him. Thank God.
I relaxed my shoulders and smiled at James. “Are we driving or walking?”
“Driving,” the men answered in unison.
“We’ll take mine,” James insisted.
“You won’t hear me argue,” Stan replied, climbing into the back seat.
James had left his engine running and the cab of the truck was refreshingly cool. He drove through the field until we reached the survey markers that separated our land from Daddy’s. James turned the wheel and drove the width of the land. I looked out the window, my eyes falling on a beautiful, ancient Ash tree. A vision of James building a tree house for our kids flashed through my mind and I knew we’d found our spot.
“There,” I announced abruptly, pointing out the window.
Startled, James hit the brakes a little too hard. “Where? What?” he asked as we were all thrown forward. I grabbed the side of my door to stabilize myself.
“Right there,” I said, pointing at the tree again. “I want that tree to be in our backyard.”
I climbed out of the truck with James and Stan close behind. I walked straight to the Ash tree and leaned against the trunk. “What do you think?” I asked as the men approached.
“It’s perfect.” James beamed.
“I like it,” Stan agreed. “If we change up the design a little, you’ll have great mountain views from the backside of the house.”
I hesitated for a moment, twirling a strand of hair around my fingers. James recognized the look on my face and narrowed his eyes in concern.
“What’s wrong? What are you thinking about?” he asked.
“I think I want to throw out the plans completely and start over,” I confessed. I turned to Stan. “I’m so sorry. I know you spent a lot of time drawing up the final blueprints.”
He shrugged. “It’s no problem. Why don’t the two of you take some time to think about it and we’ll meet again on Monday?”
“Perfect,” I said with a sigh of relief. “Thank you so much for understanding.”
“Your circumstances have changed. Your build site has changed. I get it.” He gave me a friendly wink. “I’m going to walk back to my truck. You two sit in the shade and relax for a while. Get to know the land and the perfect house plans will come to you.”
“Thank you, Stan,” James said, shaking the contractor’s hand. “Will you be at the wedding?”
“Wouldn’t miss it,” Stan assured us with a smile. “See you on Saturday, kids.”
“Thanks again, Stan,” I called after him.
He waved over his shoulder and set off for his truck. I sat down and crossed my legs, still leaning against the tree trunk. James walked to his truck and pulled a saddle blanket out of the bed. He spread it out beside me, sat down, and pulled me into his lap.
“What’s on your mind, Willow? Do you want to change the plans because we changed the site? Or is something else going on?” he asked patiently.
I let out a long breath and felt my cheeks burn with a slight blush. “I chose the floor plans the day Katelyn came here to tell you about the baby. I don’t want to live in a reminder of that day,” I admitted. “Besides, the first plans were for my house. I want to build something that’s ours.”
James put a finger on my chin and turned my face to his. “I love you so much, Willow.”
“I love you too.” I laced my fingers through his soft chestnut hair and found his lips with mine. I gave him a light, teasing kiss and then tried to pull away. He caught my bottom lip with his teeth and gave it a light nibble. The pinch sent ripples of desire coursing through my body and I ground my pelvis into the bulge in James’s pants. He gathered my hair in one hand, held it out of the way, and dove for my neck. He licked and kissed me, his hot tongue stoking the flames lit by his teeth. And then, as suddenly as he’d embraced me, he pulled away.
“We can’t, Willow,” he groaned. “I don’t have anything on me.”
I didn’t care. He’d set off a craving that demanded to be satisfied. “It’s okay,” I said through heavy breaths. I leaned in to his neck and mimicked the work of his mouth. “We’ll be careful,” I told him, staring into his eyes. I held his gaze as I unbuttoned the front of my denim work shirt.
“Are you sure?” James whispered as I tossed my shirt to the grass.
I kissed his neck again before unhooking my bra and reuniting it with my shirt. “You’re going to be my husband,” I reminded him, my heart quickening with the word. “And I’m going to be your wife. I want to feel you… just you. Right here where our lives are going to start.”
I pulled off my boots and stood in front of him, half naked and full of wanting. I unbuttoned my jeans and looked down at him with a hint of a dare in my eyes. James reached up and yanked my pants down to my ankles. He put his hands on my hips, rose to his knees, and lowered my panties with his teeth. I dropped to my knees, unfastened his belt buckle, and James wiggled his jeans down to his thighs. I tugged at his boxers, freeing his stiff, throbbing member. James groaned as I took the tip in my mouth and gave him a few quick, teasing bobs.
I pulled away, put my hands on his shoulders, and pushed him down on the blanket. He leaned against the tre
e and pulled me into his arms, gasping in delight as I slowly took in the full length of his shaft.
“Oh my God, Willow,” he moaned. “You feel so amazing.”
“So do you, baby,” I gasped as I rose and fell on his slick, turgid cock. He gripped my ass with both hands and rested his head against my chest, his hot breath teasing my pointed nipples with every exhale. I rocked my hips from side to side, coming down harder on his cock every time I fell. My breath came in quick, labored spurts and I knew I was nearing the edge. Suddenly, James clamped his hands on my hips and held me still.
“Slow down,” he warned, kissing my neck. “I’m so close… and I want you to come first.” He raised his hips, pushing into me slowly and then pulling out again.
“I can’t slow down,” I replied, my voice full of lustful desperation. “It’s okay. I want to feel you, James. All of you,” I repeated. I clenched my pussy muscles around him and stared straight into his chocolate eyes. He groaned and stared back at me with love.
“Are you sure?” he whispered, loosening his grip.
I answered by slamming myself down on his cock. He leaned against the tree trunk and I bucked against him, riding him to release as I watched his jaw go slack. Waves of ecstasy flowed through my body and I felt James’s cock tremble inside me. His eyes rolled back in his head as the juices of our love combined.
I collapsed against his chest. He cradled me in his arms and laid down on his side, his spent, shrinking cock still inside me. He brushed my hair from my eyes and gave me a hard, fierce kiss on my lips.
“I didn’t know anything could feel so incredible,” he sighed, still trying to recover his breath. “Are you sure it’s okay?”
I nodded with a reassuring smile on my face. “According to math, we should be safe.” That wasn’t exactly the truth, but I didn’t care. I knew that James and I would be together for the rest of our lives. We’d had more than our share of struggles, but everything had worked out exactly how it was supposed to. I was confident that the trend would continue. But it suddenly struck me that James might not feel the same.
“But what if we aren’t?” I pressed. “Safe, I mean. Would you be upset?”
“If you’re ready to start a family, we can try again right now,” he answered with no hesitation. “If not, this can be a onetime thing and I’ll do a better job of being prepared. It’s totally up to you.”
I looked up at the sky and saw yet another line of rain clouds rolling toward us in the distance. “Looks like right now, it’s up to that,” I said, nodding to the horizon. James looked up and groaned.
“Not again. God, Mom is going to be having fits.”
“She has every right to,” I told him, searching the grass for my clothes. “This is exactly why we’re not getting married outside. Let’s get to the house and try to keep her spirits up.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he replied with a grin. We pulled our clothes on, folded the blanket, and made our way back to the truck.
CHAPTER 5
The storm passed quickly, but the clouds lingered. To everyone’s surprise, Renee didn’t care that Saturday morning broke with overcast skies and a dreary haze.
“I don’t even care if it rains,” she insisted with a smile. “I’m marrying the man I love today. If another storm rolls in, we’ll just get wet.”
Karma rewarded her positive attitude. At six in the afternoon, the clouds dispersed and the sun shined down on the freshly showered grass. At a quarter to eight, Renee and I stepped outside and Dallas helped us into the wagon that would carry us to Eagle Point.
“You both look beautiful,” he said as he climbed into the driver’s seat. Renee looked stunning in a simple tea length ivory gown. My gown was yellow chiffon, almost the exact color of my hair, with a flowing skirt that billowed in the breeze.
“Are the guests all here?” Renee asked as Dallas steered the wagon towards the mountain.
“Yes, ma’am,” he assured her. “Colton and Huck are staying behind to bring up any late arrivals and the rest of the wagons and ATVs are parked at the point to bring everyone down after the reception.”
“You have no idea how much Cole and I appreciate everyone working today,” Renee told him as the horses pulled us up the trail.
“Of course we do,” Dallas corrected her. “That was one hell of a party you threw us last night.”
Daddy and Renee were having a simple ceremony and didn’t see the point of holding a rehearsal dinner. Instead, they threw a huge barbecue for all of the staff who’d volunteered to shuttle guests back and forth from Eagle Point on the day of the ceremony.
“I’m so glad everyone enjoyed themselves. Cole and I had a blast too.”
As we neared the point, the sounds of classical music filled the air. Dallas slowed the wagon to a stop just before the end of the trail and James stepped up to greet us. He helped us out of the wagon and kissed Renee on the cheek.
“You look beautiful. I’ll be back for you in just a minute,” he assured her before offering me his arm. “Shall we?”
I took my bouquet of white lilies from Dallas and slipped my hand behind James’s elbow. The crowd turned to us as we stepped into the clearing. Some of the guests smiled back at us, while others turned their noses up like they’d smelled something rancid. I wasn’t surprised that the disdainful looks outnumbered the friendly ones.
The stories in the papers were getting consistently worse, to the point that if I didn’t know us, I’d hate us to. A number of tabloids had sent reporters to Durango to dig up stories about us to feed the public fodder. Their most recent find was a string of James’s buckle bunnies.
They can hate us all they want. This is a huge day for our family and I’m not going to let anyone ruin it.
I held my head high and stared straight ahead at Daddy. The joy radiating from his face made him look twenty years younger and happy tears already filled his eyes. James left me at the front of the aisle and I gave Daddy a quick kiss before sliding to the left of Reverend Hawthorne. I watched James disappear into the trees and reappear with Renee on his arm. The wedding march started and everyone rose to their feet as Renee and James glided down the aisle.
The ceremony was short and sweet. The sun had begun to set, adding to the romantic ambiance of the cozy décor. Reverend Hawthorne opened with a short prayer, after which Daddy and Renee recited their personalized vows. They exchanged rings and after a final prayer, the reverend pronounced them man and wife.
“All You Need Is Love” blasted over the sound system as they shared their first kiss as husband and wife. Reverend Hawthorne introduced them for the first time, and then James and I met at the altar and he escorted me back down the aisle. I couldn’t control the grin on my face as I realized the next time we took that walk, we’d be husband and wife.
James led me past the crowd, straight to the tent where the reception buffet was already set up. He pulled two mason jars filled with spiked lemonade from a horse trough filled with ice.
“Did you see the way people were looking at me?” James asked as he twisted the lid off of his jar. He tossed back a gulp of the cocktail and cleared his throat. “It’s those damn articles. Everyone thinks I’m a player. That being with you is some kind of ultimate conquest for me. And most of the shit they’re printing isn’t even true.”
The guests started flooding into the tent. Some of them avoided us completely, others gave us quick, apologetic smiles as if to say “I don’t have a problem with you, but I have a problem with people knowing that.” Finally, we were greeted by some friendly faces.
“Beautiful wedding,” Matt said as he and Lucas joined us. They each grabbed a mason jar and we made our way to a corner table.
“It really was,” I agreed.
“But not half as awesome as ours is going to be,” Matt added with a devilish twinkle in his eye. I grinned back at him, but James’s face remained etched in a scowl.
“Dude, what’s wrong?” Lucas asked him.
“Today’s a
rticles,” I explained.
“I’ve stopped reading the news,” Matt told us. “I suggest you do the same.”
James clenched his hands into a fist. “I can’t do that. I have to know what they’re saying about me so I can defend myself. Not that I have any idea how to do that.”
“I’m surprised the story’s still alive,” Lucas confessed. “I mean, I know Willow got a lot of attention at the races, but it’s not like either one of you are famous.”
“We are now,” James snorted.
Lucas had a point. I’d been thinking the exact same thing for days. I’d expected to see a few negative pieces after we went public, but I’d expected the attention to die down instead of balloon out of control.
“We can’t dwell on this right now,” I insisted. “This is supposed to be a happy day. Can we just try to enjoy ourselves?”
“How are we supposed to do that?” James asked. The side of his mouth turned up in an impatient, frustrated snarl. “No one will look at us, Willow.”
“I don’t care,” I insisted. “They’re basically at our house. If they want to act like rude ass wipes, so be it. My father got married today and I’m going to celebrate.” I pushed my chair away from the table and marched defiantly to the food line. I said hello to everyone I passed and forced them to deal with me. I was filling my plate with fruit salad when I felt James’s arms around my waist. He pulled my back to his chest and leaned into my ear.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “You were right. What do you say we eat and then we’ll get on the dance floor and really give these people something to talk about?”
I felt everyone’s eyes on us, but I didn’t care. I set my plate on the buffet table, turned in his arms, and planted a kiss square on his lips. “I’d say that’s the best idea you’ve had all day.”
***
“Okay, so after Renee and Cole’s wedding, I definitely have a few new ideas for ours,” Matt said, dipping a French fry into a puddle of ranch dressing. He shoved it into his mouth and reached for a beer.
“I do too, actually,” James agreed as he cut his chicken fried steak into pieces. It was Monday afternoon and Matt, Lucas, James, and I were having a late lunch in Durango. We’d spent the morning choosing invitations, table linens, and flower arrangements. As soon as we finished eating, I was supposed to meet Renee at the bridal shop to try on dresses.