by Sam Crescent
“Anyone could see.”
“I don’t care. Mike already knows.”
Her gaze went to the barn. “Do you think that’s wise?”
“It’s my brother. I don’t care what he thinks.”
“What about Paige? It’ll confuse her.”
“She’s not here to see. We can wait.” He ran his thumb across her lips, and just the thought of them wrapped around his cock was enough to make him ache. Something was going on here between them. He enjoyed being with Maddie so much. She made his life easier, and not just that, he loved spending time with her. Caleb had a feeling that when the time came, he wasn’t going to be able to let her go.
He hoped when that happened, she didn’t want to go.
****
Maddie rubbed cream into her face, staring into her mirror as she thought about Caleb. His brother now knew, and it would only be a matter of time before his mother found out. She didn’t know what was going on, and at times that really scared her.
Paige was a dream child. She was so sweet, and always wanted to learn. They spent hours in the kitchen, standing at the counter, rolling out pastry, making cute little cupcakes and decorating them. While they worked, Maddie always asked her questions. Simple math sums, or equations, then of course spelling, and she was such a bright, intelligent child.
She loved her.
There was no doubt in her mind that she loved that little girl, and there were a couple of times that Maddie even wished Paige was her own.
A small knock on the door made her smile.
“Who is it?” she asked.
“It’s Paige.”
“Come on in, sweetheart.”
She watched as Paige appeared. The door was slightly ajar. She wore a pair of bunny pajamas. Maddie had picked them up for her in town a few days ago. With it getting cold, she didn’t want Paige to get a chill.
“Can I brush your hair?” Paige asked.
“You certainly can.” She handed over the brush and moved so that Paige sat on the bed, and she sat on the floor, facing the mirror.
With Paige in the room, she didn’t think about the things the girl’s father had done to her in front of that mirror. When it came to Caleb, she also felt herself falling for the rough man. The moment he looked at her with that wicked smile, she was a goner. Her nights spent with him were the best nights of her life. She loved it when he sneaked into her room, they made love or fucked, and each morning, he’d wake her with a kiss before he left for the day.
“They’re having Mommy’s supper at the school next Friday,” Paige said.
“I heard. Your teacher told me.”
“Would you come?”
She looked at Paige, and saw the hope in her eyes. “Would you like me to be there?”
“I don’t want to be alone. I hate being alone, and I would ask Dad for me to have the day off, but there’s a spelling test, and I think I could do well.”
“You’ve been practicing amazingly well.” She knew Paige’s spelling meant a lot to her.
“They always laugh at me because I don’t have a mother.”
“You know, Paige, I wasn’t very close to my mother either.”
Paige looked at her then. “You weren’t?”
“She’s not come to visit me at the ranch, has she?” Paige shook her head. “Think of your Granny. She’s always stopping by, coming to see how you are. I often wished for a mother like that.”
Her mother was like that. The only problem was, her daughter had to be named Emily in order for her mother to care. Pushing that pain aside, Maddie focused on the little girl in front of her, who was running the brush through her hair.
Paige’s eyes filled with tears. “They all know my mommy didn’t want me.”
Pain swept through Maddie as the tears fell. “Paige,” she said, turning toward the little girl.
The brush was put down, and Paige pressed her hands toward her eyes. “She doesn’t love me.”
Maddie climbed onto the bed and pulled Paige into her arms, holding her close. “Then your mother is incredibly stupid.”
She didn’t care if she crossed the line right now. Paige was a funny, sweet, kind, amazing child. Whatever Paige’s mother had done, Maddie knew she could never turn her back on any of her kids.
“She left me, Maddie. She doesn’t even come visit, and she doesn’t want me to go to her. I know Daddy says she’s busy, but she’s never sent a card, or anything. I don’t even know what she looks like.”
Cupping the girl’s face, Maddie wiped away those tears. “Whatever your mother did, it has nothing to do with you.”
“But she didn’t stay.”
“And that’s her problem. Not yours, sweetie. Don’t ever, ever allow anyone to blame you for their own faults, okay? You’re perfect, and don’t let anyone tell you differently. I love spending time with you. You make me laugh so much, and I enjoy every second of it.”
“Even when I get dirty?”
“Especially when you get dirty.” She gave her nose a little pinch. “I’ll come to the school on Friday, and we’ll eat, ignoring all those people.”
“Did your mother ever go to school for you?”
Maddie shook her head. “No. Mom was always busy with my sister. There was never any time for me.”
“I like you, Maddie. I love you very much.”
She held Paige tightly, hugging her close, and not wanting to let her go. She would protect this little girl at all costs. When Paige yawned, she chuckled. “I think it’s time for us to get you into bed.”
“I’m not so sleepy.”
Paige rested her head against her chest, and Maddie chuckled. “Come on.” She wasn’t as strong as Caleb, so she took Paige’s hand, and walked her toward her bedroom. Pulling back the blankets, she tucked Paige in bed. The little girl was already asleep by the time she turned off the light and closed her door. When she turned around, she saw Caleb standing there, looking heartbroken.
“Please go to the school on Friday,” he said.
“You don’t even have to ask. I will.” She brushed past him, and he caught her arm, pulling her close.
“Thank you. For the way you handled that.”
“I didn’t really handle it.” She patted his chest. “I hope I didn’t upset you.”
“You didn’t. I’m just pleased she came to you.” He stroked her cheek. “Thank you.”
“You don’t need to thank me, Caleb. I care about her a lot. It has nothing to do with what we’ve got going on.” She smiled at him and moved back into her bedroom.
He followed her, which she expected him to.
“I, erm, it’s that time of the month,” she said. She pointed to her pussy. “There’s not really a lot we can do.”
He closed the door, and moved toward her.
“Do you think all I want from you is sex?” he asked.
She chuckled. “Is that supposed to be a trick question?”
“No, it’s not. It’s not what I want from you. I think you’re an amazing woman.” He kissed her lips again and moved toward the bed.
Maddie watched as he lay down and patted the bed beside him. “Come, lie down. I will prove to you that I enjoy spending time with you.”
She rolled her eyes, but did as he asked, moving toward the bed and lying beside him. Closing her eyes, she placed a hand on her stomach. Cramps were the worst during this time. She tried to hide the pain, but most of the time at night, she usually held onto a pillow to help her deal with them.
His hand landed on her stomach and pushed her hands out of the way. “Is it hurting?”
“Yes.”
Caleb moved her so that he spooned her, with his much larger hand pressed against her stomach.
He rubbed in soothing circles, and she relaxed against him. “That’s nice,” she said.
“You don’t have to worry about how you treat Paige, or if you’re showing her a lot of love. Ivory never showed her any, and I know sometimes the kids say nasty things at the sch
ool.”
“She’s got friends though,” Maddie said. “It has taken her some time to get them, but some kids do take time to fit in.”
His breath was hot against her neck, and she closed her eyes, enjoying his attention. Their shared moments really did mean a lot to her. In fact, their time together had given some of the best moments she’d ever shared with anyone. She didn’t know if that was pitiful for a woman of twenty-nine, but she also didn’t care.
Caleb awakened a part of her just by being in his company. She adored him. In fact, she knew it was more than adore, but she wasn’t going to put a label on their feelings, or at least her feelings.
“Do you like it here?” he asked.
She smiled. “You know I do.”
His hand stopped stroking, and he pulled her in close, pressing a kiss against her neck. “I never want to let you go.”
She snuggled against him, sleep coming thick and fast. “Then don’t.”
Chapter Eight
“What are you doing?” Maddie asked.
Caleb smiled and rubbed down his horse. “It’s simple. I want to take you on a trip around the ranch. It will take all day, and I figured with Paige having a sleepover with her cousins, you and I can go and explore for the day.”
“Why do I feel like there’s a catch with this?” she said.
There was, but he wasn’t about to tell her that. “Would you like to come and see where you live?” he asked.
He’d asked Mike how to romance a woman. The books he read were fine, but he didn’t have millions or billions of dollars to take her to fancy restaurants, and the diner in town wasn’t fancy. Besides, she always made the better burgers. Not only that, he didn’t want to risk her bumping into Emily and Chad. He wanted their time to be fun, and about the two of them, not about their past.
“I’d love to.” She glanced around the barn. There was only one horse. “Where’s mine?” she asked.
“You’re going to be riding with me.”
“Erm, I don’t think that’s a good idea,” she said.
He chuckled. “I heard you tell Paige that you didn’t know how to ride. Besides, this is not a lesson, and I want you to be comfortable.”
“You want me to ride with you?”
“Yes.”
“Isn’t that, like, a lot of weight?”
“No, it’s not. Trust me.”
“I do, but that’s a lot of weight for one horse.”
He pulled her close, running his hand down her ass and gripping the flesh. “We can handle you, baby.”
There were times he knew her weight bothered her, and she tried to hide her body from him. He wouldn’t let that happen though. Caleb loved watching her, and he’d even looked into installing more mirrors around his bedroom, just so he could watch her. She made him ache in all the right places, and fuck, he was falling for her.
He didn’t say anything though as he didn’t want her upset. They had a good thing going, and he didn’t know how she felt about him, and he wasn’t used to feeling this way. Not about a woman or anything.
“I have no doubt of that.”
Once he’d rubbed his horse down, he took Maddie’s hand. “Ladies first.”
“Wow, okay, erm, are you sure about this?” she asked.
“I’m really sure.” He winked at her, and he saw that didn’t help and in fact only made her nervous.
She released a breath, and then followed his direction, climbing up onto the horse. She held onto the reins, and he saw she was incredibly tense. “Try to relax.”
“I would, but right now I can’t think.”
He climbed up behind her, taking the reins and getting her to ease back against him. Leaving the barn, he took off at a slow trot, allowing her to get used to the feel of the horse.
“This feels really weird,” she said.
He took one of her hands and placed it on his thigh before doing the same with the other.
“I’ve got this, and I’ve got you. I’m not going to let anything happen to either of you.”
She nodded. “Okay, yes, I’ve got this.”
Her hands squeezed his thighs, and he smiled, leaning close to kiss her temple. She was so beautiful.
The further they got from the house, and the longer he was on the horse, she began to relax, and he took his time.
He didn’t want to rush or startle her.
Once they came over a large hill, he heard her gasp. She’d been with them for a couple of months, and he’d not taken her out yet.
“Oh, my,” she said.
“What is it?”
“It’s just so beautiful. I can’t remember ever seeing something so amazing.”
This did make him smile because that meant a great deal to him. He’d always loved the ranch, even as a kid. “I’ve never thought of being anywhere else in the world.”
“Not once?”
“Nope. Not even when I did something wrong, and Dad would rant and rave, and he’d get so mad. I still loved it. I loved learning how to ride my first horse, and then fixing the fence, dealing with the cattle. I love all of it. Mom always said that ranching wasn’t for everyone. Mike and I, it was natural to us.”
“It is hard work though.”
“Yeah, but when you’re doing something you love and it’s more of a calling, it’s not exactly hard to do, and I don’t find the long days all that.” Especially when he had Maddie to go home to.
In fact, just this past week, there had been a few freezing cold mornings, and his body had ached from the chill, but just thinking of Maddie, and how she warmed his bed, that was enough to keep him moving. When he got home, after a nice, hot meal and warm bath, he’d sink balls deep inside her, and that had been the best pleasure of all, feeling her cunt wrapped around him.
“Paige loves it here, and she’s always talking about it.”
It had been a couple of weeks since Maddie had gone into the school to have dinner with Paige. He also knew his little girl had loved every second of it. She didn’t care that everyone called Maddie the nanny. No, she’d loved having a mommy to talk to.
Paige had told him everything from the way Maddie smiled at everyone, and she didn’t treat the kids like babies. She talked with everyone, and some of the kids thought Paige was cool for having a mommy like Maddie.
She then asked him if Maddie could be her new mommy, and since then, every time he thought of Maddie pregnant with his kid, he wanted to see it happen. He wanted to know his cum filled her pussy and knocked her up.
He wanted to possess, own, and fucking breathe her.
Maddie had gotten under his skin, and she didn’t even know it.
“Did you bring her out like this?” Maddie asked, breaking into his thoughts.
“When she was a little girl, and Mom was tired. I’d bring her out, and she’d hold or hand me tools to help me fix things. She was always a great worker.” He kissed her temple.
For the next hour, they traveled around the ranch, and he pointed out where he cut his favorite pair of pants attempting to the jump the fence. Where he went riding with Mike when they were kids, and trying to get their horses to go faster, so one of them could be crowned the winner.
Each story he told her, he heard the laughter, and he hoped she saw another side of him. A side that was willing to share his life with her, and not only willing, but wanted to.
“This is all so amazing, Caleb.” They stopped at the lake. The thin layer of ice had melted as the temperature had turned mild. He knew it would only be another week or so before it was completely frozen solid.
His horse licked at the water, and Maddie moved to his side, holding onto his arm and snuggling against him.
“I don’t have any amazing stories to tell, or great scenery to show you. I tended to play with my dolls growing up. At least the ones I was allowed to keep.”
“Emily?”
“What she wanted, she always got. She was the first, so she got spoiled a lot. I think at times they felt guilty for
having me because they didn’t really want me.”
He’d noticed not once had they made an attempt to visit the ranch. The few times he’d been in town, he’d seen her sister and the guy she was with. He’d also seen her parents as his mother had pointed them out.
Caleb wasn’t impressed. Family meant a great deal to him, and if any sister of his pulled the shit they pulled with Maddie, he wouldn’t have been so forgiving of the other one. Since learning everything he had about Maddie and her family, he didn’t want them on the ranch. People like that only tainted the happiness around them, and with Maddie all to himself, he wanted her happy.
“I want you, Maddie. I want you, and so does Paige. Not because you’re a nanny, and not because of the sex either.” He moved them both toward the bench that his father had placed near the lake, over fifty years ago. “You know my dad told us that wining and dining my mother was one of the hardest things he’d ever done.” He wrapped his arm around her waist, and pulled her close.
“I don’t believe that.”
“It’s the truth. Mom wouldn’t give him the time of day. He was known as a player in those days, and nothing he did ever impressed her. She would visit the ranch often, and Dad would try to get her to fall in love with the place. He once told me that after a year, he decided he didn’t need her to fall in love with him, just the ranch.”
“That sounds awful.”
“Mom didn’t like the way he told it. Anyway, he said that he didn’t need love. What Mom didn’t know was as far as Dad was concerned, he loved her enough for the both of them. Then one day, Dad was riding by this very lake, and he saw Mom sitting on the ground, looking out at the lake for hours. An entire week went by, and he’d find her loving the view. Then Mom would take over telling the story. One day she came to her favorite lake. The view, the peace, everything would help her to think, and there at the perfect spot was a bench. A sturdy bench, and it was then that she realized she loved my dad.”
“Why?”
“He didn’t wait for her to see that he’d built it. He didn’t put a single clue into the bench that he’d built it for her. He simply did it, and left it alone. It was then that Mom realized that not only did he love her, and he paid attention to her without her realizing it, but how could she let a man so sweet and caring get away.”